Building Blocks
by yourmainsqueeze
Summary: Before everything fell apart Sakura was certain of what she wanted, but now that it's time to rebuild she can't be sure. Seeing different sides is making her think and if she's sure of anything this time around it's that she needs a stronger foundation.
1. Prologue

A/N: So, I really debated about posting this because it is based in such craziness, but I decided whatever! And posted it anyway. This is just the prologue and therefore kinda vague so if you are confused about the situation after reading the fic never fear because there will be more explanation in the next chapter.

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Suigetsu is internally impressed with the resilience of the room. It is immaculate and completely undisturbed, with only the wide wall of windows giving any sort of testament to the destruction that lies just outside. On the other hand the room is overly bright with oppressive artificial light and it feels overly crowded.

Sitting behind her desk is the fifth Hokage, to her right are the infamous copy-ninja and a lady with dark hair who seemingly has very little difficulty holding a pig, and to the left is the group of faceless anbu that escorted them here. Centered across from the wide desk stands Sasuke, standing uselessly beside him is Karin, and crumpled over in a bloody heap against the wall is Juugo. Suigetsu is proud of himself for having the sense to stay propped on the wall beside the door. This is after all a potently hostile situation as Sasuke and the rumored to be hot tempered Hokage are the ones doing the talking. Finally the Hokage asks Sasuke what it is exactly that they want and Suigetsu decides it's time to pay attention because he is wondering the same thing.

"Firstly, I would like the guaranteed asylum of Konoha for my team and I. That means I want my status as a missing nin cleared and I want my teammates to be accepted and compensated as if they were from the leaf."

"Are we being serious? You do realize how ridiculous your demand is, right?"

Suigetsu rolls his eyes, because they haven't even really begun and she is already cutting Sasuke off. However, the edge in the Hokage's voice does make him shift closer to the door and begin to calculate the easiest escape route from the village.

"If you want my bloodline to remain in Konoha you will figure something out."

"Uchiha, how am I supposed to deny their countries access to them if it comes out in the open that they are residing here? Are you suggesting that leaf should go to war in the defense of your team? And as far as public acceptance goes how am I supposed to guarantee that? Everyone knows what you did and we can't all be as forgiving as Naruto."

Suigetsu's gaze shifts at the way Sasuke jerks forward at the mention of Naruto. Apparently the name has some sort of power over the Uchiha because the atmosphere in the room has just dropped considerably.

"You misunderstand me. Their residing here will never be an open issue, as no one will know about it. And as far as public acceptance goes I did not mean the general public, I merely want the shinobi whom we have contact with to be bearable and not to initiate any unnecessary standoffs."

"Oh, so you and your team expect to just traipse around Konoha for the rest of your lives without anyone noticing. It's so obvious I don't know how I possibly misunderstood you. What is it that I'm supposed to be compensating you for, not being spotted?"

"Exactly."

Suigetsu can tell by the look on the Hokage's face that she is not pleased with the currently smirking Sasuke or his negotiation methods.

"With the death of Danzo and his precious root, the village has lost a valuable asset. Though he was trash, it is undeniable that is paranoia and ability to operate in secrecy did aid the village in certain important manners. My team is the perfect replacement for his organization. Our general non-existence within the village makes secrecy relatively simple and our skills leave room for very little liability. Also the fact that my team has insider information for each of their villages can't hurt. I would say having an ally from the bloody mists is a fairly invaluable treasure for Konoha, wouldn't you?"

The Hokage slides her glance his way at the mention of his birth place and Suigetsu can't help but letting out a menacing grin for effect. It is totally unnecessary, but he likes getting his kicks where he can and judging from the displeased look on the Hokage's face he and she are going to get along great.

Suigetsu can tell from the new stillness that has overtaken the room that Sasuke has proven his worth. Every village has special units that they send out to do particularly nasty little tasks, like spying on supposedly ally villages and then assassinating some important higher up. It's dirty and no one likes to talk about it, but it's a necessity in this life style. Suigetsu is pleased with Sasuke's plan it gives them a permanent place to stay, entertaining work, and all while retaining a considerable amount of freedom.

"If by some wild chance I agree to this, can you guarantee the hold you have over your team? I've seen him fight and it doesn't seem quite suited for stealth."

This time the Hokage's pointed look is directed at Juugo's beaten form and this bothers Suigetsu. Sure the guy puts him on edge, but he doesn't like it when people look at him with that critical gaze.

"Juugo is my second condition. You are renowned for you medical skills and I would like you to aid him to the best of your ability. He has been seeking help for some time now and I think you and… your apprentice ..could be of considerable assistance to him."

Though Suigetsu is shocked by Sasuke's show of concern for Juugo, he still cannot miss Sasuke's hesitation. The way the Hokage's eyes have hardened and are now looking Sasuke over with a sense of promised cruelty seem to imply that she hasn't either.

"Uchiha, that's another, more personal concern of mine. If I acquiesce to your demands and you to mine, how will you treat them? Because I have to admit that I am rather partial to them and I will not hesitate to kill you should you do anything to upset them."

Suigetsu watches Sasuke stand in silence and is surprised when he breaks the intense stare down with the Hokage to look at the window behind her. Whoever it is that they are talking about must be someone very important to him, because Sasuke has been reduced to accepting a death threat.

"Time is ticking, Uchiha."

Not a moment after the words leave the Hokage's mouth does the door beside Suigetsu burst open and in bounds a grotesque ball of orange. It halts beside Sasuke and scoops him up in what appears to be a very unpleasant hug.

"Teme! Your finally back!"

"Naruto! This is an official meeting. How many times do I have to tell you that you cannot just run in here without permission whenever you want?"

"Oi baa-sama, we can keep him right?"

Judging from the way things have fallen apart in the office, Suigetsu would say it's pretty safe to assume that the meeting is over. The Naruto kid has finally released Sasuke, but is now holding a screaming match with the Hokage. The pig has broken free and is doing circles around the seemingly unfazed anbu, while the copy-nin has simply pulled out some sort of book that he appears to be quite engrossed in. The black haired woman knocks into Karin in an attempt to restrain the pig and Suigetsu is pleased to observe that Karin looks utterly appalled.

"Baka."

Everything in the room is so entertaining that the only reason Suigetsu hears the tired whisper is because it is so close. Standing beside him, wavering on the doorstep, is a petite girl with brilliant pink hair.

Since he saw them fighting earlier in the battle side by side he is going to assume that her muttered insult is meant for Naruto. He has to admit that he agrees with her and is glad to find out that at least one person in this village possesses a little decorum. Since it can't hurt to make a friend in his new environment, Suigetsu is about to lean over and share some stupid comment with her when he notices the look in her eyes.

Her stare is locked onto the arm that Naruto has around Sasuke's back and so many things are flashing around in the emerald pools that are her eyes that Suigetsu is taken aback. She looks as though she may take a step forward, but then she stops herself. Her indecision is obvious and it looks like she's struggling to support a terrible burden.

It looks like the girl next to him is in danger of drowning in herself and he really doesn't want that to happen while he's next to her. He wishes her teammate would get a clue and come help her. Suigetsu is filled with an undeniable urge to reach out to her, to pick her up and shake her. He would to, if he could be positive that she wouldn't shatter in his hold.

He can't take it any more so he gives her a gentle jab in the shoulder with two fingers in a hope to knock her out of her meltdown. She turns and looks him in the eyes before shaking her head and snapping to attention when the Hokage calls out to her.

"Sakura."

A lot of things happen at once, in a very quick succession. The pig lets out a squeal and sprints to the girl's feet, Naruto finally shuts-up, the copy-nin peeks over his book, and Sasuke remains determinedly facing forward. None of this escapes Suigetsu's notice, not even the way the girl looks expectantly at Sasuke's back and then away when it becomes clear he is not going to look at her.

"Hai."

"Take the injured boy to one of the temporary field hospitals and begin some basic healing. Should you discover anything of interest record it in detail. Also, you are probably going to want to do this with considerable attention to privacy."

"Hai."

As the girl makes a move to retrieve Juugo, Suigetsu is just getting ready to voice his concern when Sasuke beats him to it.

"Juugo can be quite volatile. I am not certain that it would be wise to trust Sakura alone to subdue him."

"Your concern is noted, Uchiha. Though I'm sure Sakura is perfectly capable herself, Naruto why don't you assist her?"

With a nod and a grin Naruto bends down to pick up Juugo and immediately sets him back down. Naruto's face turns sheepish when Sakura lets out a sigh and proceeds to lift Juugo without any issue. Together the pair leave the office, their easy, twin stride making it obvious that they share a special bond.

After watching them depart and turning back to the room Suigetsu is surprised to find Sasuke still staring off after the pair.

"I think you already know my answer. Kakashi will take you to your temporary residence. You will have to share with your team for the time being, with the village in this condition it's the best I can do. We'll talk more tomorrow so we can go over certain rules and regulations before I let you run free in the name of Konoha. Also, the next time you two meet you want to try actually looking at her face. You may be surprised at what you see."

Later jumping over debris to their new home Suigetsu cannot stop thinking about the parting words of the Hokage. Though they were not directed at him, they are still resonating in his thoughts. There is quite obviously something going on between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura and Suigetsu is going to find out what because for one terrible moment in that office when his eyes met up with hers he saw a flash of it. For that moment, he was the privileged person to be on the receiving end of her misdirected and ignored emotions.

For Suigetsu that moment had been pure bliss. Not once in his entire life had he ever experienced something so intense or so pure. The heady rush that her look gave him was a completely new feeling and if Suigetsu got his way it would become a completely familiar one.

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A/N: As I said in my first annoying note, I am really unsure about this fic so if there are any comments or suggestions please review! Thanks so much for your input.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Not much to say before the fic except please enjoy and thanks for the reviews, you guys are the reason I'm continuing this story. Also please read the note at the end of the story, I know it's lengthy and I apologize, but it's kinda important.

_3 years later…._

Sakura has considered herself efficient and capable for some time now, but currently she's wondering if Tsunade has finally discovered a task that is beyond her abilities. Alone, in the pre-dawn hours of a new day, surrounded by endless heaps of paperwork, Sakura feels overwhelmed.

When she had left the hospital six hours ago, after pulling a double shift, she had projected to report to Tsunade and go home. It turned out that her seemingly logical assumption was terribly off base in the eyes of her mentor. When Sakura had walked through the door it became obvious that Tsunade was expecting someone and from the annoyed frown that adorned her face Sakura felt it was safe to say that the person was running behind schedule.

Deciding it would be prudent to stay out of the situation; Sakura had dropped the hospital reports on the corner of Tsunade's desk and attempted a quick retreat. Of course, her plan failed and she had been pulled into waiting for the errant team instead. To help her fight off the boredom of waiting alone Tsunade conveniently offered her some paperwork to complete.

Slapping down yet another ridiculously stuffed folder in front of her Sakura can't help but wonder why it had to be her to stay behind and receive the team. The tower had been full of other nins upon her arrival, ones that hadn't just spent a lifetime in the hospital and were feeling the effects of a day spent healing people. Sakura knows it's useless to sit here and bemoan her fate, but at the moment she really can't help it.

Out of the corner of her eye Sakura notices one of the precariously stacked heaps of files is beginning its descent from the desk. Desperately flailing out her arm in a last ditch effort to catch the paper turns out to be quite effective and Sakura is so proud of her awesome reaction time that she isn't at all miffed that she now cannot find her pen.

After looking for awhile, Sakura is becoming frustrated. When scooting her chair back in an attempt to search beneath the desk proves futile, she will admit she is beginning to feel a little upset. Sighing in resignation and beginning the struggle of up righting herself from beneath the desk, her heart almost stops beating at the sight of her pen being dangled not an inch from her face.

Sakura is beyond alarmed. How could she not have detected someone entering the building, unless…

Realization suddenly dawns and Sakura could just strangle Tsunade. Her mentor could have shown a little mercy and given her sufficient warning about what team it was exactly that she was waiting for. Feeling a little exasperated Sakura silently admits she should have figured it out, given all the clues that were laid out before her.

The fact that it had to be her doing the waiting, the ridiculous time of arrival, the oddity of having to hand in the report directly, it all made sense.

Backtracking through her day Sakura wonders what evil act she has performed that equates to this as punishment. There was beating up Naruto, but she does that every day. Oh, it was probably when she threatened that old man at the hospital, but really he deserved it! This is a ridiculous form of retribution for such a trivial threat, still Sakura resolves that she will visit the nearest shrine once all this is over.

Looking past her pen to meet the overly exuberant face of Suigetsu, Sakura's desire to strangle Tsunade increases tenfold.

"Looking for this, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. Thank you."

Sakura is dismayed to note that though her response was forced out from her clenched jaw Suigetsu has remained seemingly undisturbed by her annoyance.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, what are you doing here so early in the morning? And why are you alone?"

Hoisting one of the many plump folders that litter the desk into his hand, Suigetsu seems to contemplate it before turning back to her.

"Are you trying to get a head start on today's work or are you just a really big slacker?"

He has only been in her presence for ten minutes and already he has managed to increase her ire to levels that ensure death.

"Actually, Suigetsu, I've been sitting here awaiting your return!"

"Awaiting my return? Aww, Sakura that's really sweet and it's nice to know that you think of me like that, but there's no reason to worry about me. Though since you've waited for me and confessed your feelings, and I really don't want to disappoint you, I guess we could get breakfast or something."

Sakura is about to dismantle Suigetsu limb by limb when Sasuke decides that it's finally time to assert his presence.

"She meant she is here because she is waiting for us to report on the mission, you idiot."

Sakura can't help but to release some of her anger at the crestfallen look on Suigetsu's face. Though he's annoying enough to irritate a dead person and he can act like such a child, he has his redeeming qualities as well. With a quiet sigh Sakura decides that she'll let him live tonight, but only because she's tired. At this point, she makes a mental side note that she treats Naruto and him irritatingly similar.

Sasuke hands her the mission scroll and she is heartbroken to note that he still can't seem to meet her gaze. Though exhausted Sakura is still persistent and decides he will not be getting off so easy tonight.

"Did you encounter any trouble on the mission?"

Since it would be rude to do otherwise, he looks at her to respond and Sakura is determined not to waste the moment. She holds his gaze and is shocked to see a flicker of emotions before it gets oddly intense and she quickly peers down at her desk, inexplicably embarrassed.

"No."

The response is cold and meaningless and it takes Sakura an eternity to comprehend that it is his answer to her question. At least, that's what she thinks it's meant to be. Sakura can never be sure when it comes to Sasuke.

Since his return to Konoha, three years ago, Sakura can describe their relationship as tense at best. It's extremely unfair too because he and Naruto act as though they were never apart and Kakashi has developed some oddly adorable father-son relationship with him.

She has tried so hard too, but he acts so strangely in everything they do. When they all get together to spar he fights everyone normally, until he gets to her, at which point he becomes all hesitant and choppy. Then afterwards, when they go together to eat, he keeps an extremely exact and measured distance from her, and then if by some unfortunate mistake he is seated next to her he remains stiff and withdrawn the whole meal.

His other teammates, the ones he brought with him when it came time for him to aid Konohagakure against Madara, the infamously undead leader of the Uchiha clan, seem completely unfazed by his behavior.

Maybe this is the real Sasuke and she just refuses to see it because she isn't ready to admit that there is no room in his life for her. She isn't even asking for his undying love this time around, merely that he'll acknowledge her presence, but how is she supposed to show him how she has grown when he won't even look at her?

Once again Sakura is very near tears over the enigma that is Sasuke and from her peripheral vision she can see Suigetsu looking acutely uncomfortable.

She feels bad for having involved him in their weirdness. It's not his fault that Sasuke doesn't know how to be around her.

With another glance towards Suigetsu her mind begins to ramble. Admittedly she likes Suigetsu a lot. He makes her laugh, he's never serious about anything, and he's up for everything. He's so unnaturally calming to her that she sometimes forgets who he actually is.

Really Sakura likes all of Sasuke's teammates so much that's its sometimes very hard to remember that they are all ruthless, missing nins. That each and every one of them has killed for reasons that would seem utterly trivial to her. All joking aside these people exist on a plane of terror that she couldn't begin to understand.

But really it's unfair of her to simplify them like that because she knows their stories, knows that they can be all too human, and that is why she loves them.

Sweet, sweet Juugo, who compliments her at every turn and would do anything to make her happy, he wants so badly to be rid of the monster inside him. Though Suigetsu laughs and fools around outwardly, it is obvious that he hides something dark inside of him, something he is too scared to share with the world for fear of rejection. Even Karin, who can be crass and likes to act tough, cares deeply about what those around her think when it comes down to it. At the end of the day they all are just as human as everyone else and they all want the same elusive thing, acceptance.

Sakura wants to laugh at this conclusion because though it is true that everyone seeks to be accepted; only the truly insane would go to Sasuke in search of it. So, yes, Sakura admits, she does count herself in that group.

Sakura is startled out of her musings when Suigetsu clears his throat to speak and as a result almost falls from her chair.

"At least nothing the two of us couldn't handle, in fact as usual it was almost too easy. Right, Sasuke?"

This really confuses her. What the hell is he talking about? Then Sakura realizes that he is trying to help her. His delayed reply was meant to break the stillness and relieve her anxiety.

When it becomes all too clear that there will be no response from Sasuke Sakura begins scrambling for something to say to fight of the awkward silence, but Suigetsu beats her to it.

"So Sakura about that breakfast, even if you aren't ready to admit your love for me, we could still grab something to eat together, don't you think?"

Sakura is so relieved at his offered escape that she doesn't even react to his provocation about the love she supposedly harbors for him. With a show of more excitement then strictly called for, Sakura tucks the mission scroll in its drawer, shoots up from behind the desk, and is already half way to the door when Suigetsu opens his mouth again.

"You coming Sasuke?"

For one very dreadful moment Sakura thinks he will say yes and then she'll have to endure this awkwardness all through the meal. She stiffens at the thought and is about to crumble inside herself with defeat when she notices that Sasuke is staring at her.

"No, I don't think I will. Don't worry about it though, you should enjoy yourself."

Though Sakura finds it odd that he gives his response to Suigetsu's question while looking at her, she isn't about to question it. Grabbing Suigetsu by the arm to leave, Sakura is certain her grip becomes painful when Suigetsu feels the need to open his mouth yet again.

"You sure?"

"Yes, Suigetsu."

"Whatever, suit yourself. I guess it is best for our budding relationship if Sakura and I spend our time alone. Isn't that right Sakura-chan?"

The grin that he turns to her with would be endearing if Sakura didn't want to kill him so badly. Must she really suffer like this? It's a terrible day when the option of spending time with Sasuke is starting to look appealing, but what is she saying, spending time with Suigetsu won't be that bad.

A poof of smoke takes Sasuke from view and leaves her alone in the office with Suigetsu. Mind now free of all other distractions, Sakura has the time to assess the situation. Thinking over Sasuke's actions makes her want to scream, but she doesn't want to appear crazy, even if it is only Suigetsu, so she holds it in.

Turning to peek at her soon to be breakfast companion Sakura is overcome with gratitude. Begrudgingly she must admit that she is eternally grateful to him. In his own little way, he always looks out for her and takes care of her. For the last three years he has been the only person to actively aid her in her quest to earn Sasuke's attention.

He seems always aware of her emotional state and he is always there to pull her up when she starts sinking into herself. She has got to give him credit he always knows what she is thinking. She just wishes she could say the same about him. He is almost as confusing as Sasuke and even more infuriating because he is so adept at hiding things.

"Hello in there. Hello."

Oh kami, how many times is she going to be embarrassed in one night?

"What, what? I was just thinking!"

"Well can you handle 'just thinking' and walking at the same time? I'm famished, not to mention worn out, as well."

"You think you're worn out…"

Never mind, she isn't going to go there. She wants this day to begin on a positive. Taking a deep breath Sakura decides she is determined to get some food in her stomach and then to retreat to her nice, comfy bed, with or without Suigetsu.

"Hey, what? Where are you going? Sakura wait, I don't have any money."

Why does he have to make all her resolutions so difficult? And she is trying to be nice too.

Drawing in a deep breath and closing her eyes, Sakura digs deep inside herself for some reassurance that things will be okay.

Feeling the weight of his arm slung over her shoulders makes Sakura smile, it also makes her feel unarguably comfortable. Opening her eyes to meet his expectant gaze Sakura feels rejuvenated. With a whole new bubbling energy rising up inside of her, Sakura resumes walking towards her destination.

"Uh, Sakura-chan, where are we going?"

"I have to go to the temple and ask for forgiveness before we can have breakfast."

"Why? Did you do something naughty?"

Frowning at the suggestive grin on his face, Sakura can't help but wonder what she is getting herself into.

"No! And apparently I'm going to need to ask for guidance and eternal strength as well."

"Why?"

"We're going to be eating together aren't we?"

"Don't be like that, you know you love me."

Ignoring the way he is using his arm to pull her closer to him, Sakura can't help but smile. She really does love him for all that he does for her village, for Sasuke, and even for her. But since she isn't going to be telling him that, the least she can do is buy him something to eat.

A/N: So, there are a couple of things I want to address before we get too far in the story.

Firstly, this chapter, and the rest of the story, takes place three years after the prologue. Since everyone talked about in this story is currently around fifteen in the canon story, I put them around sixteen at the time of the prologue and battle with Madara. That means in the remainder of this story they will be around nineteen. Their ages aren't all that important or exact I just don't want to confuse anyone. The reason I decided to have a time skip is mainly because I'm lazy (sorry guys). I didn't really want to write all the tedious back story and take forever to build a Sakura/Suigetsu relationship. So if their relationship seems to move quickly keep in mind that they have been in contact, working for the same village, for three years.

On a very similar note, I don't feel like writing the battle with Madara as that's not really my thing. You can assume that it was epic and that the fate of Konoha rested on Naruto and Sasuke's ability to work together. Though much of the village was destroyed, many lives were saved, Madara was defeated, and whoosh! The current situation is born. I'll mention the fight throughout the story and try to give more detail, but I think you guys can understand what went down.

I know that there is a lot of Sakura/Sasuke tension in this chapter and not much Sakura/Suigetsu happenings. I want to assure you that this is a Sakura/Suigetsu story I just think that Sakura's feelings for Sasuke were very deep and I do have to give them some sort of attention.

Finally, though Sasuke and his teammates working for the village is a secret to the general public they are still allowed to be in the village. They dress like civilians, mask their chakra, and keep a low profile. Also, there are obviously quite a few Konoha shinobi that know they are hanging around; they just don't know the extent of their doings (the evil spying and what not mentioned in the prologue).

Thanks so much reading and sorry my ramblings are so long. I promise you'll hear less from me as the story progresses. Please review if you enjoyed the story or have suggestions. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Large amounts of italics denote a flashback. There is a tiny flashback and I didn't want anyone confused by it, so it's in italics. Also I guess I should warn everyone that Suigetsu uses a few trashy words in this chapter.

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Stepping out the door Suigetsu has to blink multiple times to relieve his eyes from the blinding light that is the noon time sun. Really he should have anticipated the assault, but he can't help it, right now his mind is elsewhere.

Last night, after completing some espionage mission of little relevance to him, he had stumbled into the village and felt an indescribable surge of relief upon finally reaching home. He had made it all the way to his own apartment, had grasped the cold doorknob, before it hit him like a punch in the gut. _Home. _Shit, he had thought. When had this place become home? Last night in his exhaustion he had shrugged it off as inconsequential, but now in the glistening morning hours he had no excuse for avoiding the issue.

Looking up, looking down, kicking a pebble, Suigetsu exhales loudly because 'shit' is still the only thought that comes to mind. Deciding that a short jaunt around the village may help him think over the predicament he steps down onto one of the many winding dirt paths that make up the routes around Konoha.

One movement into his walk and he has already figured out why he is so irked by this whole situation. He's just so damn comfortable here and being a shinobi this can be a bad thing. It can lead to him getting sloppy; can lead to him forming pathetic things, like friendships.

This is a worrisome notion. His past has taught him that you can most defiantly not put your trust in other people. When it comes down to it, it's all on you. At the end of the day everyone is worried about getting themselves ahead and nothing more.

He figures that must be what the appeal of this place is to him. The fact that the people seem genuinely concerned with one another, that they are willing to bleed for one another. He can recall feeling something like that for his brother and he can recall enough to remember that he liked the feeling. However, it was those silly, childhood feelings that led him to the intense, shade less despair that he had to wallow in after the loss of his brother. Those were terrible times and even with all these years of life on his side, he's still not sure he could survive that again.

Using that logic as his guide he should probably just leave. This isn't his village, so technically he should be able to just walk out without experiencing any sort of repercussions. There are after all six other swords just waiting for him to come and collect them.

But there is something about the promise of this place that keeps him here, something that the kid in him clings to with tight, grasping fingers. The chance to play the good guy and be the hero is something that appeals to Suigetsu. Though he would never say it out loud, he likes the feeling of working for something beyond him. He likes slinking home in the dark past all the houses full of dozing children, wrapped in an invisible blanket of safety, a safety that he contributes to maintaining.

He has a greater sense of purpose, something that he has never felt so strongly before in all of his twisted and extensive experiences. Finally he is a part of something that is worth being a part of. He belongs, even if it is to the darker more secret part of the village, it's still an important part and that has to count for something.

He just wants so badly to belong, to no longer be alone, but he has his suspicions that they all kind of want that, or at least something along very similar terms.

It's glaringly obvious that Juugo has been searching out this feeling of acceptance for practically his whole life and it's almost pathetic to watch him clutch at it. Karin and Sasuke conceal their longing with far greater skill but even he can see it. Stripped down to its most basic and natural form all their desires become reflections of one another's.

From what he has discerned Suigetsu can wager with quite a bit of confidence that Juugo plans to stay in Konoha. Here, thanks mostly to the efforts of Sakura, he is able to control his urges, able to silence the voices that beg him to do the unimaginable. Karin stays because Sasuke does and Sasuke stays because…

Suigetsu can't be certain but again he has his guess as to why Sasuke stays and for some reason the possibility bothers him. Even if Sasuke is not ready to admit it yet, even if he never is, Suigetsu is fairly certain that Sasuke loves Sakura and that he stays for her.

Sure there is the allure of being in his home village amongst the people who raised him and of the nuisance that is his adopted brother Naruto, but mostly it's her. He keeps her at arm's length and never betrays his intentions when she can see, but Suigetsu has the advantage of lingering and seeing the fleeting moment of weakness that the Uchiha allows himself when she walks away.

It's none of his business but Suigetsu feels that what Sasuke does is just cruel. Sakura is waiting for him to love her. She has forgiven him his betrayal and has wholly accepted the person he is now. She simply wants to pick up from the present and leave all the painful mistakes in the past.

Suigetsu makes a face of disgust because not only is Sasuke jerking Sakura around with his mixed messages, but he's messing with Karin as well. He'd be the first guy to admit that he is not all that taken with Karin but any idiot can see that she would die for a glance of acknowledgment from Sasuke. It's just wrong the way Sasuke leads people on and toys with their feelings. As a famed genius and heir to a prodigious clan the prick should be able to tell when he is hurting people, even if it is emotionally, the Uchiha's seemingly weakest area of expertise.

Suigetsu would simply bask in the wonderful glow of adoration if he had someone like Sakura chasing him. There isn't much more a guy can ask for when it comes to her. She is beautiful, outrageously intelligent, determined, and above all else, devoted. She would do anything and everything in her power to come to the aid of the people she cares for and that in and of its self is an amazingly admirable quality.

He bites down on the interior of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. He can't think like that because that is an extremely dangerous topic to contemplate. He has had three years to come to terms with the fact that he is infatuated with Sakura. Fuck, if he was man enough to admit it to himself, he would even say that he loves her. He can pinpoint the exact moment that he fell for her too.

_They had been fooling around at one of the training grounds and it was only around six months into his stay so he was still unaccustomed to the unfaltering acceptance offered up so freely by Sakura when some random jounin showed up._

_He had approached Sakura with an air of familiarity and once he had started talking it became pretty obvious that he too was a medic. The dude had done his best to ignore him which hadn't really bothered him at the time because he was supposed to be maintaining a low profile. He had, however, felt the need to comment when the asshole made some remark about the trash that Sakura was keeping for company._

_Suigetsu hadn't been overly offended at being referred to as trash because, hey, he had been called far worse, but the way the jerk had worded it, had made it sound like there was some flaw in Sakura's judgment, had pissed him off. _

_Suigetsu had literally just opened his mouth and been on the verge of telling the nin off when Sakura's indignant huff halted him. If she wanted to stand up for herself she was more than welcome too, after all Suigetsu had seen her handle Naruto and was confident she could put this idiot in his place. However the words that left her mouth were totally unexpected._

"_You call him trash, but the very fact that you make your judgments based on appearances and rankings hints at what you are. I'm embarrassed that a Konoha shinobi would say such things to a guest of the village, furthermore one that the Hokage herself has appointed the privilege of residing here."_

"_Ah, forgive me Sakura-san. I did not mean to offend you; I only meant to express my concern for your well being and reputation. Perhaps you are not aware of the heinous crimes committed by this man under his own impetus."_

"_Well you have offended me and it is your own well being that you should be worried about, not mine. I am perfectly able to judge who I am safe to associate with and regardless of what he may or may not of done in the past I deem Suigetsu a perfectly suitable person for me to keep company with."_

It was at that exact moment that Suigetsu forgot how to breathe. Sure it was a pretty dramatic reaction, but she was standing up for him. Never in his life had someone proclaimed his actions, his mistakes, irrelevant and simply stood by him just to defend his character, flaws and all.

Suigetsu sighs because whether he wants to admit it or not, that moment had prodigious effects on him, effects that he is still feeling the aftershocks of. It opened his eyes to the marvel that is Sakura, but it also illuminated the complex labyrinth of past heartaches, present conflicts, and future dreams that exists around her.

Suigetsu knows it's a lost cause when he finally remembers that he started his walk with the intention of finding reasons to leave this assumed home village because all that he can think of is Sakura and everything pales in comparison to her.

He looks up only to notice that he has wandered into one of the unpopulated portions of the village. When Madara attacked pretty much everything had been destroyed in the resulting battle. Much of the buildings have been restored but some random patches of rubble still exist on the outskirts of the city's center. Suigetsu normally avoids these ruined areas because they bring back memories of a sporadic childhood, riddled with conflict.

A screech from some nearby child followed by the delighted laughter of his peers urges Suigetsu to turn away from where some genins have probably been assigned the tedious task of sorting through all the debris.

"Sakura-sama! Over here, over here! Look at this cool rock we found!"

On the other hand, a little human interaction may help him sort through some of his issues. He feels the grin slip into its place as he veers towards the direction of the joyful calls and he hates himself for the giddy feeling that's rising up in his stomach. Kami, the things this woman does to him without even trying. He can hardly imagine what it would be like if she ever looked at him the way she looks at Sasuke.

He comes around the corner to see Sakura crouched down amidst the rubble and curious stares of three small genin, well two small ones and one giant. The kids don't notice Suigetsu's approach because they're too busy studying the contents of Sakura's hand, but she notices him right away and the smile that she greets him with sends his stomach swirling.

Looking at her makes him wonder of it's really so wrong for him to feel at home here, if it's really so wrong for him to want something like this. After all, he is only asking for something that he can feel, something tangible that lets him know there are wonderful, amazing things in this life, things so pure and fulfilling that they're worth sticking around for.

The big genin takes note of Sakura's distraction and follows her line of sight to his grinning face. It's obvious the boy is startled by his presence and the defensive stance that he takes in front of Sakura is almost comical. As if this boy could stop him from hurting her, _as if he would ever attempt to hurt her._ The two others take note of their friend's odd behavior and funnily enough they follow suit once they themselves spot Suigetsu.

Upon noticing what they're doing Sakura releases a succession of stifled giggles and Suigetsu can almost feel the boys deflate at her reaction.

"Calm down boys. He is a friend of mine and he doesn't pose any threat. You three should really work on how you react to strangers."

"But Sakura-sama he snuck up on us!"

"He didn't sneak up on you. You simply couldn't sense his chakra because it's at a civilian level."

She throws him one of her sparkling sideways smirks with the playful jab at his ego. She knows it irks him that he has to conceal his chakra levels when he is in the village to avoid unwanted attention. Since he torments her about so many things it is to be expected that she would take so much joy in irritating him back.

"Hai, Sakura-sama. That's true, but there is still something weird about his chakra…..and besides that, look at his face, there's something wrong with him."

To think that he thought the fat genin was kind of cute and that he felt sorry for the kid because his size set him apart. Now Suigetsu is tempted to show the little jerk just how weird he can be.

"Now Toro, that's impolite! You boys go finish shifting through what's left and I'll be over in a minute to make sure you're really working, so don't slack off."

The boys all shuffle away, upset with their dismissal. Suigetsu can see one of the tiny ones give Toro a pretty solid punch in the arm, seemingly his punishment for getting them sent away and he accepts it outwardly, remaining wholly unaffected.

He is still watching the boys backs get smaller when Sakura interrupts his thoughts.

"They're good boys, a rowdy bunch, but good. Iruka-sensei asked me to bring them out as a measure against them for acting out in class, but in all honesty I think they're enjoying it."

There is a brief pause in her speech where she stops to stretch her arms high above her head and take in a deep gasp of air. Suigetsu fills the lapse of silence with a covert perusal of her languid body. He starts at her finger tips, travels down her arm to the side of her face, where his gaze pauses at her lips, and his mouth goes dry. He continues down her body with his gaze lingering here and there. He has to fight down his blush and act natural when she stops stretching and catches him staring.

"Nice outfit. You're completely covered in dirt."

He has to congratulate himself on the quick recovery because now Sakura is too busy brushing away non-existent dirt from her attire and fighting back her own blush to notice anything he is doing. He better recover soon though because she is finishing up and if her suspicious glare is any indication she is not happy with him.

"What brings you out here anyway?"

"Hmmm…. The allure of your charming presence maybe?"

"I'm being completely serious Suigetsu."

"So am I."

"You're never even a little serious, let alone completely serious."

"That's not fair, I can be plenty serious when I need to be!"

"Give me an example."

"Every time I fight someone."

"Well duh! I would hope so, but I mean in a more personal setting, like day to day life."

"We're shinobi, that is our day to day life and what do you mean more personal? A battle is life and death, how much more personal do you want."

"Gah! See that right there, not at all serious."

The effect of her anger is ruined when he smiles at her and, though she gives an admirable opposition, she too eventually breaks down into a smile.

"Kami, you're hopeless."

"Yeah, I'm a lost cause."

"As bad as Naruto."

"Hold on, I'm not that far gone."

In response to that statement Sakura throws her head back in laughter and for the first time all day Suigetsu feels truly content. Then she has to go and ruin his moment when she catches him by surprise and throws one of her annoying curve balls.

"But for real this time Suigetsu, what's up? You seem oddly, I don't know reflective? Whatever it is it cannot be good."

"Is it your personal vendetta to harass me?"

"Suigetsu…."

Her tone is firm, but her eyes are soft and he is about to pour out his soul to her when the inopportune arrival of his team captain halts his closely guarded revelations.

"Suigetsu. Sakura."

As usual Sakura is stunned into silence with the appearance of her stoic girlhood crush, so Suigetsu takes it upon himself to start the conversation because Kami knows Sasuke can't.

"Oh my, Sasuke! What a cheery greeting, what's got you in such a great mood?"

"Sakura I've been sent to find you. I have a message."

Sakura takes the message from Sasuke and immediately begins reading. Knowing how totally absorbed she gets in these things Suigetsu decides to take advantage of the moment and have a little fun with Sasuke.

Suigetsu wraps his arm around Sakura's waist in the most casual way and then proceeds to pretend to be as engrossed as Sakura is with the letter by positioning his chin gently atop her shoulder. Sasuke may be able to ignore what he says, but he certainly can't ignore this blatant display of possession.

He has to struggle to keep the smirk off his face when Sasuke's eyes harden and meet his laughing ones in a glare that promises painful retribution. Sakura, who is still completely engrossed with the scroll, is naturally unaware of the ridicules display that is taking place right in front of her. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad, the ways she always misses it when Sasuke gives his slight displays of the affection that he harbors for her.

"Sakura, if I'm not mistaken the contents of that scroll are time sensitive. Perhaps you should leave now."

Haha, he would be impressed with the Uchiha's determination if it didn't appear so desperate.

"Yeah, I really should get going. He is always so punctual and so quick to worry if I'm late. Though all these appointments hardly seem necessary; He has been doing so well lately."

"I do believe your efforts have helped Juugo considerably. He is forever grateful to you."

"Oh, it's nothing; it is really all due to his dedication. I'm so proud of his progress."

"Sakura-chan, don't sell yourself short! That big oaf couldn't have done it without you. He really adores you though and never shuts up about the time he spends with you, so I would delay in terminating the appointments because you may break his heart when you do."

Because he is still hanging on her, he can _feel_ it this time when she laughs and judging from the look of barely concealed jealousy that Sasuke is throwing his way, some of his ecstasy must have shown on his face.

"Well, I better get going. It's going to take some time to corral those boys back to the academy."

"You should take them with you when you treat Juugo. That sounds like more of a punishment then sorting through a bunch of rocks."

"Very funny, Suigetsu."

Sakura pins him with a very pointed warning glare before pivoting on her foot and calling out to the chubby genin, who has slyly been inching closer and closer to them this whole time.

"Toro-kun! You and the other boys head back to school and tell Iruka-sensei that I'm sorry for cutting things short, but something came up."

Sasuke makes one of his noncommittal 'hn' sounds before giving a departing nod to Sakura and a threatening look to Suigetsu and disappearing from their company. Sakura finishes giving the boys their warnings and with their departure things become oddly quiet. Suigetsu feels a slight twinge of anxiety at being left alone with Sakura and is so frantic to kill the silence before it becomes awkward that he blurts out the first stupid thing that comes to mind.

"So… it's crazy how much of the village still needs to be rebuilt. I mean you don't really understand all the damage until you're right up on top of it like this."

"Hmm… what? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.

No, he thinks bitterly, you were too busy staring into space, the empty space where moments before Sasuke stood. He wants to say something mean, tell her to wake up from her fantasy world, but he can't because he refuses to be the one to make her cry. Plus he doesn't want to be the one that has to sop up her Sasuke tears.

"The village…a lot of rebuilding still left to do."

"Oh, yeah there really is, but sadly we just don't have the resources and man power together to complete the process in a timelier manner, but its okay because all that's left to fix are these couple of houses on the outskirts. The families that lived in these homes, civilians mostly, have all moved to different houses anyway, so finishing up here isn't really a priority. It's kind of a shame though; I really always liked this little area."

"Why? It's quite a walk from things."

"Well, I guess it's kind of stupid, but when I was younger I always wanted a big yard to play in. I grew up in a cramped apartment; a yard was a luxury I never experienced, so I decided that when I grew up and had kids I would want to live in one of these houses. I actually even picked out a particular house, it's gone now, but it was very nice when it was here…."

She pauses and looks around at the heaps of wreckage looking terribly crestfallen. Suigetsu wonders silently to himself if he is the first person that she has ever told all this. He gets excited at the possibility and follows the direction of her finger when she cocks her head cutely to the side and points.

"I think it was around that tree. Whatever, as you pointed out, it doesn't make much sense to live here, so far from everything. Nobody would want to raise their kids like that nowadays."

"That's not true! I would raise kids here, with you."

As soon as the words leave his mouth his whole body goes numb. What the hell is his issue today? Sakura is looking at him wide eyed and pale, which cannot be a good sign. He's thinking his hardest, but he can't see any way for him to talk his way out of this one.

"I mean hypothetically of course."

Ah real smooth, he watches as she whips her face away from him and mutters something that he can't quite catch. Great, now she'll probably never speak to him again.

"Um, Sakura listen…."

She cuts off his flailing attempt at conversation, but at least she's looking at him again.

"I really should leave for the hospital now. You know how Juugo can be when he gets anxious."

"Wait! Sakura….. I'll see you around right?"

She stops her retreat to throw him a look over her shoulder. She is smiling, but it's so stretched and forced that he would almost rather she not even put up the guise of being happy.

"Of course."

And she's gone. He should have known from the way that his day started out that everything would be terrible, but still he never would have predicted this. The irony of deciding to stay in the village because of Sakura and then in the same day screwing up so badly that he isn't even on speaking terms with her is staggering. He really has a knack for screwing up relationships with people.

At least it can't get much worse. In accordance with the tone of his day he is forced, almost immediately, to take back that thought with the approach of his least favorite teammate.

"Suigetsu, you freak! What are you doing all the way out here by yourself? Do you know how annoying it was to track you down?"

"Hello, Karin."

"Hmph, whatever, hurry up and get ready. We have a mission and Sasuke wants to leave as soon as possible."

"Lovely."

Fuck, and he really thought things were as bad as they could get.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update, I've been pretty busy, but I'll try not to let it happen again. I hope it was worth the wait!


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: A brand new chapter. Finally.

* * *

Today was supposed to be her day off and she had been using it to her full advantage when she got an urgent message from Tsunade saying she was needed at the hospital. The small genin messenger had barged into her house only to find Sakura on her hands and knees furiously scrubbing away at her kitchen floor. To say the she had been unhappy with the disturbance was an understatement.

The rest of her day was spent catering to the needs of patients while Tsunade snuck off to attend a 'meeting'. There were times when Sakura wanted nothing more then to pummel her mentor right over the head. Of course she would never actually do such a thing, but she was allowed to dream.

Upon returning home Sakura had decided to finish cleaning the floor. Her days off were rare and the floor was gross, so regardless of her chakra deprivation the kitchen was getting cleaned. Finishing the task had proven more tedious then expected and she could hardly wait to wash herself up and then slip into bed.

Stepping carefully out of the shower Sakura began drying off when she sensed someone's chakra signature in her house. Her eyes narrowed. The presence was faint but she had an idea as to who it was. She was going to absolutely enjoy dismembering him. He really had some nerve creeping into her house while she was in the shower!

Securing the towel around her petite frame, Sakura charged from her bathroom in a torrent of ill intentions. Rounding the corner to the living room she had already begun her tirade when she flipped on the light switch.

"You pervert! I cannot believe you thought you would get away with this. I'm going to..."

The rest of her remarks die on her lips at the vision that greets her. Suigetsu is leaning heavily against her door frame while clutching at his side. The eerie glow cast over his form by the light gives the whole scene an artificial quality, but Sakura is smart enough to know that the blood seeping from his body is all too real.

"Suigetsu."

Try as she might, she cannot bring her self to say anything else. She wants to move towards him but her legs are not obeying her brain's frantic commands. All she can think about is that he is bleeding all over her newly polished floor. _Bleeding_.Her eyes lock with his and she wants to cry.

"Sakura, it hurts."

His strained proclamation is enough to startle her into motion. There is so much blood that it has Sakura's head spinning at all the implications. She is having great difficulty thinking coherent thoughts and she has to give herself a mental slap before she can proceed. However, once she does get moving she transitions so smoothly into intense medic mode that its startling.

She rushes to his side and quickly braces his weakened body with her own smaller one. Tenderly, she drapes his arm over her shoulder and wraps her arm securely around his waist. She tries very hard not to apply unnecessary pressure to the gaping wound and fails. She inhales sharply with the realization that the jagged gash runs the length of his abdomen.

She walks him to her bedroom as quickly as his condition will allow and places him onto her bed with little regard for her freshly washed sheets. Her mind is racing; sure the gash is bad but Suigetsu has suffered worse without seeking her aid. There is something very wrong and she is afraid of the possibilities.

"Suigetsu, listen to me. Where does it hurt most?"

His head rolls to face her where she hovers over his battered form and he lets out a hard grunt of pain. He is disturbingly paler than usual and tiny beads of sweat course down his face in rapid succession.

"Everywhere."

Shit. She has her suspicions as what the issue is but she's not sure that she has the chakra for this. If his system is truly flooded with poison, like she suspects it is, then the treatment is going to require a lot of effort on her part. She grits her teeth and focuses her eyes in determination as she summons healing chakra to her shaking hands.

It takes two hours of extreme concentration and strictly monitored chakra control, but finally she is positive that he will make it. The weapon that cut him must have been absolutely slathered in the deadly poison to have such a terrible effect. Sakura shudders at the memory of exactly how close to death he had been just a few moments before.

Her eyes soften with her perusal of his battle weakened body and her heart breaks all over again. She would like to meet the shinobi that poisoned him. She would like to tear a hole in the enemy nin's side and then pump him full of deadly, unforgiving poison.

"Do you have any idea how much you scared me?"

There is no response from Suigetsu's unconscious form and Sakura likes it that way. She needs the down time to think over her initial reaction to his condition when she discovered him, slowly dying, in her living room. She concedes that her response was a pretty natural one because she always feels extra apprehensive when it is her important people's lives that hang in the balance. It is the intensity of her response that scares her.

She had frozen at the sight of Suigetsu leaking blood everywhere. Try as she might she just couldn't bring herself to react. Sakura Haruno does not freeze at the sight of blood. She is one of the highest qualified medics in all of Konoha! Sakura has a sneaking suspicion as to why she may have acted so stupidly and it does not make her the least bit happy. Her theory makes sense though, considering how she has been behaving around Suigetsu recently.

For a quick second she recalls her reaction to his comment about them raising children together. He had meant the statement to refer to his inclination for the area but it had raised some rather embarrassing images for her.

She had blushed like a silly genin at the thought of living with Suigetsu. Then her mind had thought of what their children might look like and the process that proceeds having children. Kami, something must be wrong with her! Here she was recalling such shameful thoughts while he was barely recovering from his near fatal wound.

Regardless of the current situation, Sakura finds that she cannot help but worry about the deeper implications of her increasingly intimate reactions towards Suigetsu. She has known him for three years now and he has become quite close to her in those years. Considering his background it may seem contradictory, but he makes her feel safe. He is always aware of her emotional needs and he can make her laugh with very little effort. Those aspects may seem irrelevant to some, but to Sakura it has always been the little things that she has held in the highest regard.

Sakura's sleep fogged brain decides this is enough contemplation for one night. Her body aches from the trials of her day and now all she can think about is getting some much needed rest. Her confusing feelings for Suigetsu can wait until morning. Right now all she can focus on is finally catching up on her sleep.

Sakura wakes up to caressing rays of sun filtering softly through her bedroom curtains and a solid, comfy warmth at her back. She is about to snuggle deeper into her bed when she realizes that she is clad only in a fuzzy, yellow towel. Interesting.

Suddenly Sakura's head becomes a twisted jumble of recollections from the night before. She stiffens completely with the comprehension that the 'comfy warmth' at her back is actually Suigetsu. Mortification washes over Sakura at the thought of falling asleep, covered only with a towel, next to him. Before she leaps from the bed to create an unnecessary scene, Sakura decides there is still a glimmer of hope.

Slowly, so very slowly, she turns to take a look at her bed partner's form and almost wilts in relief upon finding him still asleep. Employing all the stealth invested within her she creeps from her bedroom to the bathroom with an assortment of hastily gathered clothes.

After dressing in some loose fitting sweatpants and a plain oversized t-shirt, Sakura makes her way towards her humble kitchen. She needs some coffee badly. Very badly. Watching the stream of piping hot liquid fall into the pot, Sakura is pleased to observe that her kitchen has managed to remain fairly clean. Fifteen minutes of sipping later and Sakura is finally ready to start her day.

She is torn between sorting out the debris in her bedroom and scrubbing out the giant blood stain by her front door. She wonders if leaving the blood stain would deter her visitors. Probably not, she decides. Naruto wouldn't even notice it and Tsuande's genin messengers would only be scared to death. Still, she thinks starting in the bedroom would be best because she doesn't want the blood to settle into her carpet.

With the assurance that not even the smell of freshly brewed coffee can wake him, Sakura decides it is safe to begin ridding her bedroom of the mess that resulted from Suigetsu's impromptu surgery.

Employing her ninja stealth, Sakura quietly slips back into her bedroom. She takes note of Suigetsu's form on her bed and tries to ignore the feeling that takes shape at the pit of her stomach. She really is so pathetic at times, though, she thinks any one would react similarly if they were in her situation. Quietly she makes her way to the side of her bed where she recalls placing her medical kit last night.

Not to be vain, but Sakura is pretty impressed with her skills. A quick perusal of the bloody instruments and abundant sullied towels strewn around reveals to her the seriousness of the procedure she was forced to perform the night before. A look at the carefully banged and steadily breathing Suigetsu tells her that she has been successful.

First Sakura stoops to gather all her medical equipment. Everything has to be cleaned and sterilized right away, or it will become unusable. It is bad enough that she let them sit dirty for the entirety of the night. As a medic-nin she knows the importance of taking proper care of her equipment. A muffled noise at her side has her whipping her head in Suigetsu's direction. She is very suddenly shamefully jumpy and she is beginning to think she should have cleaned the area by her front door first.

To her relief he remains unconscious, but to her inner chagrin she now finds herself unable to look away. Kneeling on the floor, with her hands full of blood stained metal, Sakura comes face to face with Suigetsu and her heart misses a beat. Her eyes remain determinedly open, willing Sakura to memorize every little detail of the sight before her.

Flat on his back, dead to the world, Suigetsu looks completely at ease and.... oddly innocent. His features are smooth and relaxed, while little tufts of his silvery hair sticking out in all directions. Sakura can feel her gaze soften on the peaceful, slightly boyish face.

In the privacy of the moment Sakura allows herself to contemplate her feelings for this wayward nin. He is important to her she knows, but just how important she can't say. Their relationship has far to many facets for her to think about. He is a missing-nin from another village, he follows a hugely different moral code then her, and he is dangerous, so very dangerous. Her feelings for him have the potential to ruin her if she lets them.

Seeking his love is a gamble that Sakura isn't sure she can handle. If he rejects her she will fall apart, but if he returns her affection....its still not like they could ever be together. She barely knows anything about him and what she does know of his background comes from a classified folder. He has never given her any details of his past and that makes her wary. She can't be so willing to start a relationship with someone she knows so little about.

A bitter grin forms upon her lips. What about Sasuke? She pursues him relentlessly and yet she knows very little about him. The boy she loved when they were young, the one that broke her heart into a million tiny pieces, doesn't even exist anymore. The man that has taken his place is a complete stranger to her. A stranger that refuses to acknowledge her very existence.

So why does her mind still automatically revert to Sasuke anytime she considers someone romantically. Its stupid really, the fact that she still gives her genin crush any sort of consideration. Their non-relationship should hardly affect the choices she makes about her current love interests and yet, it does. She fears that always and forever Sasuke will have some inexplicable sway over her.

Sakura glares down at the tools in her hands. Why does she have to suffer from such emotional torment? Why does she have to be so fucking weak all the time? She would give anything, if for just once, things could be easy and go according to plan. Her frown intensifies with the knowledge that she will probably never have anything turn out her way without her having to first fight for it.

"Well good morning, sunshine."

Sakura is so startled to hear Suigetsu's raspy, sleep strained voice that she doesn't even react to the sarcasm of his greeting. Nor does she try to suppress the look of relief that springs to her face. She simply runs a hand over his sleep rumpled hair and smiles softly. She is so glad that he is finally awake and that his humor seems to be intact despite his condition. She is also happy that she can now begin pumping him for information.

Though she didn't dwell on it last night, as she had much larger issues to attend to, she has been wondering exactly what had landed Suigetsu in her living room. She is interested to hear why he was unaccompanied. Nins are only sent out alone in very rare and unique situations and Sakura cannot imagine that any of those conditions apply to whatever Suigetsu was doing. She is about to voice her questions when he interrupts her thoughts with one of his own.

"Had I known that all it would take to get into your bed was a near death experience I would have been here a lot sooner."

Her eyes narrow into thin slits at that comment. Apparently his humor is more than just intact, it is thriving. Leave it to Suigetsu to get her all riled up within seconds of waking. She shouldn't be at all surprised that he is acting as if nothing happened last night, as if he didn't slip into her house last night trailing blood and calling for her aid.

"That's not even funny. Your condition was serious. I thought you were going to die."

"As soon as I made it to you I knew I would be fine."

His tone is so overwhelmingly casual when he relays this bit of information that it makes Sakura acutely uncomfortable. How can he act so carefree about this? He must not understand how close to death he really was or that her abilities do have their limits.

"Sui, I'm not a miracle worker. There are some injuries that not even I can cure."

"Yeah, but I trust you. You would never let me die."

His complete faith in her abilities has her stunned speechless. It is simultaneously gratifying and extremely scary. His gaze tells her that he is not kidding or lying; he truly does trust her explicitly with his life. Could that mean...

Sakura is distracted by a polite knock on the door. She stands up hurriedly to see who could possibly want her at this hour. Any other time she would assume it was Naruto but that knock was just far to reserved. If it is another messenger from Tsunade she is going to flat out refuse to go this time. She detours to the kitchen to quickly deposit her surgical instruments in the sink before answering the door.

She is surprised to open the door and find Sasuke on her doorstep. However, her surprise is quickly overcome by discomfort. She fidgets uncomfortably when she notices the direction of his gaze. He is staring at her unbound chest and he isn't even making an effort to hide it. Sakura is about to slam the door in his face when Sasuke finally decides to speak.

"You have blood on your shirt."

Blushing a deep crimson Sakura realizes that in the course of her cleaning some blood must have transfered to her shirt without her even noticing. She is so relieved that she waited a second longer before screeching pervert and slamming the door on Sasuke. She would have died of shame when she had finally figured out what he had been looking at.

She makes a show of looking down at herself and sure enough there is a splotch of rusty red right on the swell of her left breast. Nice. Why must life treat her this way?

"Ah, yes there is a little blood."

She is not sure what else to say so she stops speaking. Sasuke looks slightly upset, but she decides he deserves it for staring her down. It is probably just a play on light anyway, because Sakura knows that Sasuke does not posses feelings. She suspects she is acting immature, and perhaps even a little rude, so she decides to help out her former teammate by opening the conversation.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Sasuke?"

"I need to speak with Suigetsu."

Sakura figured that Suigetsu was the reason behind Sasuke's appearance and she doesn't even question how Sasuke knows about Suigetsu's presence in her home. She does question if Suigetsu is ready to 'talk' to Sasuke.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. He just woke up a few moments ago and I don't think he is all that coherent."

"He will understand what I have to tell him."

Well okay. She supposes there is no getting Suigetsu out of this. Sasuke wants to talk to him now and Sasuke always gets what he wants. Clicking her tongue to show her annoyance Sakura steps away from the threshold of her house to allow Sasuke the space to pass through.

After closing the door, she turns around to find Sasuke looking expectantly at the couch. His expression shifts to confusion and Sakura is beginning to wonder if he is going to comment on her decor when he looks at to her with a blank look.

"Where is Suigetsu?"

"The bedroom."

She doesn't understand his continued confusion or the subtle scrunching of Sasuke's features but she is becoming increasingly impatient. Does he think that she has nothing better to do than entertain him? Sakura wants to let out a frustrated sigh when Sasuke shows no signs of movement. There is only one bedroom in her apartment. It should be very clear as to where he needs to go.

"The door is open. Do you want me to show you there?"

Sasuke stiffens and gives a quick nod before fixing her with his expectant gaze.

This is rather ridiculous. There are only three doors along the short hallway of her apartment and its obvious as to which one is the bedroom. Sakura wants to ask Sasuke what his deal is when something occurs to her. Perhaps this is his Uchiha heritage showing through in an odd display of decorum. The notion seems strangely sweet and she can feel her irritation lessen considerably.

She guides him the few steps to her bedroom and steps aside so he can follow her into the small space. She quietly thanks the gods that she managed to clean her room yesterday before being called away by Tsunade. She would currently be mortified otherwise. As it is she is a little embarrassed to have these particular men in her room. There is something intimate about inviting someone into such a personal space and the irony of entreating these two men here simultaneously is not lost on her. This is the punishment she gets for her earlier thoughts.

She has to stifle her laughter at the sight of a grumpy Suigetsu looking up at them from beneath her ivy-green comforter. While Suigetsu seems to brighten with her giggles Sasuke seems to become all the angrier. She decides to take this as her cue to leave.

"I'll be right out in the kitchen if you need me. Just shout."

She hopes that Sasuke doesn't undo any of her hard work but it would be very un-uchiha-like to attack a severely injured man. At least she thinks it would be. She is half way through the door when Sasuke calls out to her.

"Sakura, close the door please."

On the other hand, maybe it is a very uchiha-like thing to do.

To avoid listening through the door like a shunned child Sakura busies herself with the tools that she had dropped in the sink earlier. With skilled, steady hands she washes the instruments to a glossy sheen. She is about half way through the process when she is distracted by another knock at her front door. This time Sakura can immediately identify the person on the other side of the door from her familiar chakra signature.

For a moment she thinks about just ignoring the presence but she knows that her visitor will not leave until she is granted entrance. She calculates the odds of the visit being a short one and dismisses the notion. This just simply is not going to be her day.

Drying her hands on her already stained t-shirt Sakura is about to go open the door when it swings open to reveal her irritated looking best friend.

"Sakura! Why the hell does it take you so long to answer you door?"

"Sorry, Ino, I was a little busy."

"What could be more important than greeting a guest?"

Apparently Ino isn't all that interested in her reply because she doesn't give Sakura the time to respond.

" Whatever, its not important. Listen to this, I was at the market and- wait... is that blood? Forehead, why is there blood all over your floor?"

Sakura is amazed at the rate at which Ino is able to transition from gossiping to downright shock. The facial expressions are priceless. It does make her wary when Ino seems to finally settle for a mask of suspicion. This cannot bode well for Sakura. She can feel Ino tensing up and scanning the apartment of any other signs of a disturbance.

"Calm down, Ino. Its not _all over_."

Her friend goes wide eyed and Sakura cringes because she knows exactly what Ino has just discovered. She was hoping to avoid this but of course her luck seems to be remaining consistently horrible.

"Sakura, is that Sasuke Uchiha in your bedroom?"

"Urm...yes."

"You better start explaining. Right now."

"Listen Pig, its a long and complicated story. I-"

"No problem. I've got time."

Sakura feels a wave of apprehension wash over her at the sight of Ino dropping onto her couch. She is not ready to recount her stressful night, especially with Suigetsu still in her house. A part of her, the part she is working hard to repress, does want to drop to her knees and tell Ino everything. She is spared from making a decision when Sasuke stalks into the room followed closely by a grinning Suigetsu.

Sakura turns away from Ino to face her clearly ailing patient and frowns at what she sees. Though he is attempting to hide the pain, it is very obvious that Suigetsu is not completely healed.

"Suigetsu, you really shouldn't be up and walking around quite yet."

"Don't worry about it Sakura. I feel much better now and I feel guilty about taking your bed last night. I should really be heading out."

A quick glance from Suigetsu to Sasuke causes Sakura to narrow her eyes in suspicion. Sasuke must not have deemed her room appropriate to hold his conference with Suigetsu and as a result was forcing Suigetsu out of her house. This notion does not sit well with Sakura. Who is Sasuke to barge into her house and bully her patients?

"Its no problem at all, treating wounded nin is my job after all. And don't worry about hogging the bed. You weren't that bad to sleep with."

Ino's jaw drops open, Suigetsu looks completely taken aback, and Sasuke is practically radiating killing intent. Clearly Sakura has just said something very wrong. It was probably the sleeping arrangement comment. Had Suigetsu really not noticed that she had gotten into bed with him? He must have been far worse than her diagnosis had led her to believe. Shit, and she had just reminded him...and a room full of other people.

"I mean I was so worn out after healing you that I just fell asleep right on top of you. I didn't even have the energy to get-"

Judging from the looks in the room she is not doing a good job of explaining herself. She must seem so unprofessional and to think she was just about to blurt out the little bit about falling asleep in her towel.

"To get what Sakura-chan?"

Suigetsu's look is purely curious and she is relieved that he truly cannot remember details from the previous night. She delays in responding only because she is so embarrassed and to make matters worse she can tell that she is currently bushing.

"Nothing."

"To get what?"

This time it is Sasuke's steely voice that asks the question. Why can he not just accept her answer of 'nothing' and move on. It must be his mission to complicate her life. Her hesitation was enough to catch his attention and the was she is turning so many colors can't be helping her cause.

Since she knows that it is now unavoidable, Sakura decides to relay a shortened version of the events of last night to her audience. By the time she is finished telling her story all the occupants of the room wear more severe versions of their previous expressions. In fact, Sakura feels a little unsafe with the amount of ire that Sasuke is flooding the room with. Thankfully, Ino is the first one to recover from the shock.

"Well... umm... it looks like our little Sakura-chan had a busy night. She is in bad need of some rest. I guess we should all be leaving. Now."

Sakura is reminded why Ino is her best friend. Leave it to Ino to interpret her mood and execute the steps towards achieving what she wants. Never in her life has Sakura been more thankful to have Ino as a friend. She is going to owe her big time for this.

Without another word Sasuke marches stiffly to the door and exits. Ino walks over to her and hands her the peonies that until this point have been resting limply upon the other girl's lap.

"Here Forehead, I brought these for you. Make sure you get some rest, you look like you need it. I'll be back later to check on you."

Sakura gives a slight wave at Ino's departure and tries not to cringe at the threat hidden beneath those seemingly kind words. Ino will be back later but it won't be to check on her. It will be to come back for every juicy detail of Sakura's misadventures with Suigetsu. Speaking of Suigetsu he is being oddly quite and he is standing dumbly in the middle of her living room.

Their eyes meet and all Sakura can do is look away and mumble an apology. She is terribly embarrassed by her complete lack of protocol. If Tsunade finds out about this she will be in so much trouble.

"Sorry, I hope my revelation didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Just give me a minute to mull it over. Frankly Sakura, I'm shocked that you would take advantage of me like that."

Her whole body goes into panic mode. As a medic her actions were completely out of line but she hadn't counted on him being mad at her. The apologies are tumbling out of her mouth before she even has the time to think about what she is saying.

"I'm so sorry. I swear it will never happen again. Its just that I was already so drained when you showed up and-"

His barely stifled gasps stop her mid rant. What a jerk! She should have known that he wouldn't really be upset with her. After awhile he doesn't even try to hide his merriment and he breaks out in a raucous laugh.

"Did you honestly think I would be mad at you for saving my life? Really Sakura, use your head."

She smiles up at him in relief and for the first time since she fell asleep last night Sakura realizes how worn out she feels.

"Alright then if you don't mind, I am going back to bed."

"Would you like me to join you?"

The suggestive tilt of his eyebrow makes Sakura want to punch him right in the gut but then she would have to heal him again and currently she doesn't have the energy. She is pleased to find that his trademark grin is situated on his mouth as he regards her fondly through his heavily lidded gaze.

"Very funny, Suigetsu. You know where the door is, you can show yourself out."

With those parting words Sakura drops the flowers on a side table and makes her way to the bedroom. She is so exhausted that she doesn't even care about the filthy state of her clothes or her bed. A frustrated voice in the back of her head reminds her that just yesterday her whole apartment had been freshly scrubbed and now it is worse than it was before. She resolves that those are problems that she can address when she wakes up.

Eight hours later when Sakura finally drags herself from her bed, she finds that her apartment is once again spotless. The blood stain by the door is gone, her kitchen is in proper order with everything on the drying rack by the sink, and the peonies are arranged in one of her favorite vases.

Tucked under the edge of the vase Sakura finds a note scrawled in a sloppy script that she identifies easily.

_Sakura-_

_As payment for healing me I decided to clean your apartment._

_We are now even._

_And don't worry about trying to take advantage of me._

_I forgive you._

_Suigetsu_

_P.S. Next time I promise to stay conscious._

To late does Sakura realize that she is smiling because of the note. She should be offended by the way he is poking fun at her integrity as a medic, but she is not. Instead, she is grinning at the thought of a next time; a next time where he isn't bleeding to death.

Sakura is in such a daze that she barely registers the knock at her front door. She carefully folds the note and tucks it into the band of her sweatpants before she makes her way to the living room. Unsurprisingly, Ino chose not to wait for her to open the door and let herself in.

Sakura is still a little weary but she doesn't turn her away. Ino is her best friend and it would take an idiot to miss the lines of worry marring her normally carefree visage. Sakura is a little disturbed by the look, but she doesn't pry. As soon as Ino is ready, she will tell Sakura everything that she has to say.

"Hey, Pig. What brings you here?"

"Don't play dumb, Sakura. You're terrible at it."

Ino pushes past Sakura and heads to the kitchen with two bulging take-out bags. Sakura follows the smell of the food mutely. Watching Ino deposit the bags on the table and begin searching through them, Sakura becomes suddenly aware that she is starving.

Ino opens the fridge and lets out a irritated huff.

"Your fridge is barren. What have you been eating?"

"Umm...instant ramen mostly."

"As a medic I would expect you to take better care of yourself, Sakura."

"I know. I've just been really busy lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed. I think I saw your name written about a thousand times on the overtime board in the break room."

Sakura is speechless. She wasn't aware that Ino had been monitoring her behavior. What the hell brought this on? She wants to ask, but she is to afraid that she will not like the answer.

"Listen, Sakura, it seems to me like your running from something...or maybe your hiding? I don't know, but I think its about time you faced your fears."

Ino's motherly behavior is putting Sakura on edge. There is something going on here and it is making Sakura very wary.

"Come sit down and eat. We need to talk."

"We are talking."

"Sakura."

Ino's tone doesn't leave much room for argument and Sakura is just so hungry. Cautiously, she eases herself onto a chair and grabs a random container.

"Wow. This is really great, Ino. Thanks."

"I'm glad you like it so much, Forehead. I hope it inspires you to eat a little better from now on."

"Yeah, it will."

There is a slight awkward pause until Sakura is reminded that she should thank Ino for the flowers.

"Thanks for the flowers as well. Peonies are one of my favorites."

"No problem. We got them in at the shop today and the color reminded me of your hair."

"Speaking of flowers and my hair, the sakura viewing celebration is coming up, isn't it?"

"Are you being serious? You're even more out of it than I originally thought. Oh, but that reminds me. We should get new kimonos this year."

"I don't know...they can be so expensive."

"Don't give me that. With all the work you have been doing, you should be able to buy twenty kimonos. Plus, if we go together, we can convince the old man to give us a discount."

"But-"

"If you don't get a new kimono, I will refuse to be seen with you. The one you have now is so old you will look like an embarrassment. The pattern is childish."

"Alright, alright. We can get new ones. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

Sakura knows she is being optimistic. Ino wouldn't have bothered with all this food if she simply wanted to bully Sakura into buying a new kimono for the festival.

"No. What I really want to talk to you about is more along the lines of our previous topic."

"You mean how I'm hiding from something?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're going to have to elaborate because I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Great....you're far worse than I thought."

"Wha-?"

"Sakura, are you in love with Suigetsu?"

"No! I mean, I don't know.....maybe. Love is way too strong of a word."

She is stunned. This is not what she was expecting. How could Ino have figured this out if she herself is just now coming to terms with it? And if Ino knows, how many others do?

"Kami, I was afraid of this."

* * *

A/N: As always, thanks for reading. Also if there is anyone interested in being a beta for this story, or it there is anyone who knows somebody that would be interested, please message me with your info. My grammar is crap and I would like somebody with the time and knowledge to help me out a little bit. Thanks.

Also, for the reviewer who wanted to know when we would get some of Sakura's feelings, this chapter is for you.


	5. Chapter 4

People were commenting that the gaps created by the limited point of view made the story hard to follow. In an attempt to keep things simple I switched up the point of view within the chapter. I hope this helps. Also I apologize a million times for the ridiculous wait.

* * *

The rays of waning sunlight moved in a carefully sporadic dance across the forest floor and its inhabitants. Suigetsu envied their freedom of range and stared as they drew languid patterns across petal soft pink. Just below him, panting from the effort, Sakura hurried to fix Karin's wounds.

He was currently posted upon a sturdy limb quite far from the ground, pressed motionless against its thick, ancient trunk. He had been sitting like this for a solid twenty minutes and was about to burst with impatience. She was so very close and kami did it test his control to stay like this when she sat just below, blissfully oblivious.

As was their custom on days when everyone had some free time, either Sasuke or Sakura would ask about the availability of the Forest of Death. If the Hokage informed them it was not in use they would take over for a couple of hours of unrestrained combat. From what he had heard, the Hokage was all too willing to allow their private sessions because she was tired of listening to the council whine about the damage they caused.

Thanks to the Hokage's willingness to turn a blind eye to their antics, some of the most intense bouts of training Suigetsu had ever experienced occurred all in the name of _friendly_ competition. Using the stage provided by the Forest of Death, they would separate into teams and _play_ various _games_.

Today's game had been suggested by Sasuke and it was beautiful in its simplicity. Basically they were playing keep away with a small scroll that Sasuke had convinced his perverted former sensei to hide within the forest earlier. The teams were broken up according to lots and today he was partnered with Naruto and Sasuke. That left Jugo to fend for himself with the girls, not that Jugo seemed to mind.

Things were going well in the beginning when Naruto managed to uncover the scroll, however after a characteristically loud victory exclamation, the other team had swooped in and taken it. This had left a dejected Naruto pouting while he and Sasuke attempted to track down the scroll.

Due to the other team's predictability, they were able to determine that Karin had passed the stolen scroll to Jugo and Sasuke had managed to retrieve it. Sakura had snatched it back from Sasuke only to later lose it to Naruto. The game had continued in this back and forth manner for awhile, however with the time limit drawing closer, things were heating up.

In their last exchange Sakura had left Naruto paralyzed with a few well positioned strikes, which left only Sasuke and himself to fend off Jugo, Karin, and Sakura. This worried him, not only because the other team currently held the scroll, but because the loser had to pay for dinner and, as usual, he didn't have any money.

With his lack of funds driving his motivation, Suigetsu refocused on the scene beneath him. Sakura had been hastily patching up the damage that Karin had incurred during the game and it looked like she was finishing up her work. Thanks to the restrictions they placed on their abilities during these sessions, Karin wasn't able to utilize her tracking skills. He was extremely thankful for this because he would be so totally screwed if she knew that he had been sitting right above her for the last twenty minutes.

His gaze narrowed as he studied their crouching figures. Suigetsu was fairly sure that one of them had the scroll, he just couldn't be sure which one. Out of the two, Karin was in worse physical shape despite this impromptu healing Sakura was performing. While Karin was bleeding and bruised, Sakura was merely fatigued looking. It apparently payed to be a medic-nin. Suigetsu felt it would be pretty logical to assume Sakura had the scroll since she was in a better position to defend it.

Suigetsu watched Sakura finish up the healing and then stand to brush herself off. He had wanted to be certain regarding the location of the scroll before he attacked, but it looked like he wouldn't have that privilege. The girls were about to part ways and he had to decide who he was going to follow. Sasuke had probably disabled Jugo by now and since he had not received any signal, that meant the scroll was still in play. Suigetsu sighed as he prepared to leap from the tree. If he ended up having to pay for dinner, they were all getting something cheap.

He watched quietly as Karin thanked Sakura and disappeared into the underbrush. Sakura lingered to gather her supplies and take stock of what she had left. Suigetsu was busy studying her movements for any apparent weaknesses when he noticed the anomalies in her chakra. It was fluctuating oddly which implied that she was operating on low levels. After a few moments of observation, he was certain he had gleaned enough information to attack. Besides, if he waited any longer he could lose the element of surprise.

Sakura turned just in time to catch the kick he had intended to knock her to the ground. She recovered quickly and turned to face him. Their pre-established rules protected him from her abnormal strength but they also kept him from utilizing his ability to render himself a liquid. The constraints they put on various techniques all but guaranteed that he would have to resort to close range, hand to hand combat with her. This made him extremely hesitant because Sakura had the clear advantage in this type of fight.

"How typical. You would sneak up and attack me from behind."

Ignoring the taunt, Suigetsu flipped back a couple of feet to assess the situation. She seemed to be favoring her left side, probably a result of her earlier collision with Sasuke. This gave Suigetsu a significant advantage in the fight and he couldn't help but smirk after looking her over. The glare she was aiming at him implied that she was well aware of her obvious weakness and disliked it very much.

"Aww, Sakura, no need to be so testy simply because you failed to notice my approach."

He couldn't help but grin at the way her frown deepened at his comment. She was so easy to provoke and thankfully annoying her seemed to be on of his special talents. Suigetsu sped forward to close the gap between them and quickly engaged Sakura before she had the proper time to gather information on his current state. The reality of the situation was that he too was pretty low on chakra and wanted to end this little exchange rather quickly.

As he dodged a petite fist directed at his face, Suigetsu noticed a slight bulge underneath Sakura's shirt. The bump was just large enough to be the scroll and his heart leapt with the prospect of securing it. His premature celebration came to a quick end when he barely managed to avoid a forceful kick to the stomach. Taking advantage of the over shot and using her momentum against her, Suigetsu managed to reverse the attack.

Caught off balance by his movements, Sakura was sent tumbling to the ground. In an act of desperation Suigetsu decided it would be best to follow her to the ground and immobilize her with his own weight. He wasn't about to give her time to recover either. Suigetsu pounced before Sakura was able to regain her footing and landed in an ungraceful heap on top of her.

His lack of care in the execution of his fall gave Sakura the opportunity to roll them over. To prevent her from gaining the upper hand Suigetsu grabbed one of her wrists in each hand and continued with the force of the roll. When they finally finished tumbling Suigetsu had Sakura nicely restrained. Straddling her hips to keep her securely in place, Suigetsu transfered both of Sakura's wrists to one hand so he could procure the scroll with the other.

Thrusting his free hand underneath her shirt, Suigetsu grabbed ahold of the tiny scroll that he had noticed earlier. Suigetsu absently noted that Sakura seemed to have given up her struggle, but didn't focus overly much on her. He was far too determined to confirm his victory. After identifying the scroll as the correct one, Suigetsu turned his attention back to Sakura in order to gloat. However, he immediately froze upon seeing her expression.

She was completely flushed and her delicate features conveyed an odd mix of embarrassment and...something that could have been desire. It took about one second for Suigetsu to become as red as Sakura with the realization of what he had just done. He had just groped her! He had stuck his hand under her clothes and caressed her skin with his bare hands! Oh kami, what had he been thinking? He was about to apologize when he was rudely interrupted.

"You pervert! What are you doing? Get off of Sakura-chan right now!"

Suigetsu turned just in time to see Naruto sprinting towards him. He was followed closely by Karin and Jugo. Time must have expired for everyone to be together. Suigetsu wondered where the hell Sasuke could be as he dodged Naruto's half-hearted punch.

Before he could respond to the irritating cries of the rowdy blonde, Suigetsu felt himself being yanked off of Sakura by the back of his shirt. He turned around only to come face to face with an angry looking Uchiha. Sasuke deposited him roughly on the ground before resuming his cool, unaffected appearance. Suigetsu wanted to punch him in the head but decided to restrain himself in favor of self preservation. He watched as Karin helped a seemingly recovered Sakura off the ground and Jugo stooped to pick up the scroll that he had dropped in the course of his removal from Sakura.

Suigetsu decided to block out the ranting of a crazed Naruto in favor of listening to the conversation that Sakura was having with Karin and Jugo.

"Ugh. So I guess we lost."

"Sorry, guys. I didn't manage to fend him off long enough."

"Don't apologize, Sakura-san. We all did very well today and should be proud of our teamwork."

"Yeah listen to Jugo, Sakura. Its not your fault that Suigetsu can't keep his hands to himself."

At this point in their discussion, Karin decided to send him a rather pointed glare to which he refused to respond. Unfortunately his silence was interpreted by Sasuke as an excuse to comment on the situation.

"It is rather disgusting that Suigetsu would stoop to such dishonorable actions, but I guess that is to be expected from-"

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm not dishonorable you stupid-"

0.0

Sakura was barely recovering from her stupor and in no mood to listen to Suigetsu and Sasuke argue about what had just occurred. In fact, she was all to willing to let the incidence drift into obscurity. With an internal sigh, she let her attention waver from Jugo and Karin in favor of bringing peace to the feuding boys. She certainly felt no qualms about interrupting their childish argument.

"Well, it looks like dinner is on us. I guess you guys can pick where to go."

"Oh, Sakura-chan you're so sweet. Let's get ramen! Its so good and tasty!"

Sakura watched as Naruto bounded off with his usual enthusiasm. She smiled to herself as Jugo, with his barely concealed delight, followed Naruto's rapid pace. It took about two months of living in Konoha for Jugo to become just as addicted to ramen as Naruto. Sakura began walking and was relieved to feel Karin fall into step beside her. If it looked like they were having a girly conversation neither Suigetsu nor Sasuke would be brave enough to interrupt.

Despite the fact that she now considered Karin a close friend, it still made Sakura smile to think about their early acquaintance. When Sakura had first met Karin she had been unbelievably put off by the girl's overtly aggressive mannerisms and disturbingly crass vernacular. In the hopes of being polite and avoiding conflict, Sakura had decided to avoid the redhead. The plan seemed rather ill-fated as Sakura seemed to encounter Karin no matter where she went.

This odd game of hide and seek had continued for a month until Sakura decided to confront Karin about it. Sakura had barely mouthed her question before the other girl broke down in tears. Apparently Karin had been determined to befriend Sakura, but hadn't been sure how to go about it because she had never had a female friend before. Sakura remembered how shocked she had been upon learning that bit of information, but was glad for the revelation none the less.

After spending time with Karin, Sakura had come to understand the other girl and began to really appreciate their developing friendship. It was due to this closeness that Sakura had come to realize that her feelings for Sasuke were shifting. While she still yearned for his acknowledgment, she no longer wanted anything deeper than friendship. Karin's obvious affection for Sasuke had helped her to realize that she no longer harbored those kinds of feelings for him.

Lately Sakura was beginning to worry that her affection had shifted to someone else. Someone who she knew very little about, and that notion worried her. After her talk with Ino, Sakura had been forced to admit that she knew next to nothing about Suigetsu's background. Aside from what his personal file revealed, which was very little, and the tiny bits that he let slip in conversation Sakura was completely in the dark about him.

The issue of his past being a mystery wouldn't have bothered her so much if he didn't seem so absolutely determined to keep it a secret. There was also the possibly damning fact he was not only a missing-nin, but one from the mist. What terrible atrocities did you have to endure there to even survive to the point of becoming a missing-nin?

"What are you thinking about? You're making an awful face."

Sakura could barely suppress a smirk at Karin's comment. It was a good thing she had come to love the girl because Karin still lacked the subtleties of polite conversation.

"Oh, nothing important. I'm just lamenting our loss."

"I see. How about your brief make out session? Are you lamenting that?"

"It was not even a make out session! It was a fight. We were wrestling for possession of the scroll."

"Denial isn't healthy, Sakura. You should let him know how you feel."

"You're one to talk."

The glare that Karin was giving her made it very clear that she did not appreciate Sakura's last comment. It was no secret that Karin loved Sasuke, but her feelings had yet to be reciprocated. Sakura tried to support Karin in her romantic pursuits, but the boy in question often made that impossible.

Sakura inhaled the scent of ramen and tried to suppress the growls of her already protesting stomach. Ramen was not her favorite food, but it was only fair to indulge Naruto every once in awhile. Slipping under the limp ramen bar banner Sakura shouted her order before she flopped onto one of the unoccupied stools. She pivoted until her back rested on the bar and watched as the others gathered around to place their orders.

Once everyone had procured their orders, and the losers had paid, they all headed outside to eat. There wasn't enough room for them inside and Sakura liked it better this way because it prevented Naruto from shouting down the length of the bar in the hopes of being heard by everyone. They all situated themselves on the haphazard benches the owner had placed beside his shop for the days when the shop became especially busy.

Sakura chose to sit on the bench against the building so she could take advantage of the much needed support. Carefully balancing her dinner in one hand and wiping the bench off with the other, Sakura deposited herself on the seat. Jugo joined her on the far end of the bench after flashing her a beaming smile.

"See Sakura-san! Being the loser is not so bad when everyone gets to eat such a fine meal afterwards."

Sakura just nodded at Jugo's sweet demeanor because she didn't have he heart to tell him that ramen wasn't the fine dining he thought it was. Karin sat down between them with a tiny grunt that let Sakura know she was thinking the exact same thing. They shared a meaningful smile before opening their individual containers. Suigetsu and Sasuke were quietly doing the same on the bench across from them, while Naruto had already gone to order his second bowl.

It didn't take long for Karin to become frustrated with the silence and begin talking. Sakura had been surprised when she had first learned that Karin hated silence when she was amongst a group, instead she much rather talk. Sakura liked this about Karin because it gave her another person beside Ino to talk with about typical girl things.

"So, what's the big deal about this upcoming festival. Despite already living here a few years I don't think I've ever attended."

"Here in Konoha the festival is quite popular. People start planning events way in advance and sometimes can go a little overboard with the festivities."

"I see."

"Don't get me wrong. It's so much fun! Everyone gets all dressed up to view the cherry blossoms during the day and then at night all the venders open their stalls for the real celebration. There's dancing, contests, prizes, and great food. Plus fireworks at the end."

"I bet it would be fun to go. How dressed up do people get?"

"Huh. I guess dressing up isn't a requirement, but since shinobi have so few occasions to dress fancy, people try to look their best. I've attended in a kimono ever since I was a little kid."

"Really? I've never even owned one."

"What?! I can't believe that. You absolutely have to come shopping with me. Oh, and Ino for sure. She's a professional with these things. Trust me, she'll have you looking like a princess."

Sakura watched as Karin's cheeks became dusted with pink. It was so easy for her to forget how long Karin had been deprived of normal girl things. Just the thought of wearing a kimono was making Karin giddy! Sakura pitied her excitement. She wouldn't be nearly as excited once she got the damn thing on.

"That's so great! So do people typically attend in large groups or take a date to this sort of event?"

"Ummm. Most people begin with a group or their families, but by the end of the night those who have partners usually disappear with them. The viewing itself is considered pretty romantic as well. I guess you could say that its a fun group event that couples like to take advantage of."

"It does sound like it would make a perfect date night."

Sakura watched as Karin tried to subtly glance at Sasuke. Sakura knew exactly what Karin was hoping for and felt bad that it was unlikely to happen. Studying his neutral exterior only brought back difficult memories for Sakura and regardless of Karin's feelings for him the day that Sasuke proposed a date still seemed pretty far off. It didn't look like Karin was about to give up easily though.

"Did you hear that, Sasuke-kun? Sakura-chan has described the festival so carefully. Don't you want to go?"

"Hn."

"I know our schedule is open. I remember the Hokage telling us we should enjoy the festival this year. We absolutely must attend."

"Hn."

"We can join Sakura-chan. I'm sure she wouldn't mind showing us around. She has been going since she was very little, so she is sure to know her way around. You wouldn't mind, would you Sakura?"

"Umm. Of course not. Let's all go together."

"Doesn't that sound exciting Sasuke? Can't we go?"

"Fine."

Sakura could already see the gears turning in Karin's head and it tired her out just thinking about what the redhead could be plotting. Sakura glanced around to see Naruto and Jugo locked in what looked like an eating contest. The piles of bowls surrounding them made her feel queasy just looking at them. Suigetsu seemed to be keeping tally for them and Karin had reverted to staring at Sasuke in silence.

It appeared as if their time together was drawing to a close for tonight. Sakura knew she should leave soon regardless of what the group was doing. She had work at the hospital early in the morning and knowing Tsunade she would have to sort through mounds of paperwork for her petulant boss.

She stood to crack her tired back and then carefully returned her bowl to the bar. By the time she returned to the group the others had begun cleaning up as well. Naruto was clutching his stomach while grinning madly with Jugo. Apparently regardless of the stomach pains they both enjoyed their impromptu eating contest.

"Oi, Naruto, hurry up and we can walk home together."

"Sakura-chan have pity. I just finished six bowls of ramen."

"I have no pity for you, you baka. Let's go. I'll see you guys later."

Jugo responded to her farewell with a nod while Sasuke simply turned and started walking away. Karin shouted over her shoulder as she hurried to catch up with Sasuke.

"Bye, Sakura-chan. Don't forget to pick me up for kimono shopping. I can't wait!"

Sakura watched as Suigetsu lingered awkwardly for a moment, shifting his weight from side to side. He was obviously uncomfortable and it looked like he was trying to say something. Sakura didn't know if she should question him or let him take his time. She didn't have to worry about this long, however, because when he finally spoke it was as he was turning to walk away.

"See ya around, Sakura."

Sakura tried to ignore the butterflies that the reverberation of his voice brought to life inside of her stomach. She was so done for, but at least time was teaching her to be less afraid. It was telling her that building a relationship with him could be a very rewarding thing. As she watched him walk away Sakura couldn't help but stare after his retreating figure.

0.0

Suigetsu kicked hard at the pebbles in his path and inwardly cursed how completely uncool he had been. He had felt her up, then she had bought him dinner, and all he could manage was 'see ya around'. She was never going to speak to him again! To make matters worse, Karin just had to bring up the damn festival.

He had been toying with the idea of asking Sakura if she would attend with him. He had contemplated asking her for the last week and now it was all ruined. Now it looked like they would all be going together and there was no way that he would be able to detach Sakura from Sasuke. The way she had watched Sasuke tonight pretty much confirmed that.

As soon as Karin had brought up the notion of couples attending the festival, he had perked up at the thought of hearing Sakura's opinion on taking dates. While her reply was favorable to his plan, her body language had not been. As she had voiced her response she had glanced at Karin before turning to study Sasuke's face. Apparently she had been interested to see his response.

To add insult to injury Karin was now prancing around Sasuke talking non-stop about the stupid festival. He couldn't listen to her go on and on like this. Her incessant babble regarding the festival and Sasuke made him feel ill.

"Karin! Can't you be quiet for five minutes!?"

"What's your problem, Suigetsu?"

His outburst came out a lot angrier than he had intended and now everyone was staring at him. Jugo looked downright frightened and Sasuke looked dangerously curious while Karin appeared ecstatic. Her eyes held a disturbingly knowing glint and her mouth was twisted into a menacing grin. Suigetsu knew what was coming and he was fairly certain it was inevitable. He could still feign ignorance.

"Nothing."

"Oh, Sui-kun, don't be like that. If something's bothering you, we should talk about it."

"I said it was nothing. Nothing's bothering me."

"Is it about the practice session?"

"No."

"Is it about dinner?"

"No."

All of her questions were really pissing him off. She knew exactly why he was upset and she was just drawing it out for kicks. He was getting a little nervous though because he was unsure how to handle her queries. If he denied everything Karin would just call his bluff but he wasn't really ready to talk about his infatuation with Sakura in front of Sasuke.

"Is it about the festival?"

"No."

The dynamics between those two were too weird and he didn't want Sasuke to know about his feelings until he knew where he stood with Sakura. He was still unsure about her residual feelings for Sasuke which made it difficult to move forward with his emotions. Then there was the whole other issue of Sasuke himself. The way Sasuke treated her made it all too obvious that he harbored some feelings for the pink haired girl. Suigetsu just had no idea what exactly those feelings were.

"Is it about Sakura?"

"Why can't you just shut the fuck up, Karin?"

"What!? You little-"

"Answer her, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu winced at the way Sasuke's sharp command cut off Karin's rant. An angry Karin was a piece of cake compared to an angry Sasuke.

"Of course I'm not upset with Sakura. Why would I be? That doesn't make any sense."

"You're such a liar! Don't lie to Sasuke-kun."

"I'm not lying. I don't know what you're talking about."

"You idiot, its obvious that you like-"

"Just. Shut. Up. You have no clue what you're talking about."

He was literally shaking with anger. He could feel Sasuke's eyes on him and there was no way he could make a clean escape. Everything that he had worked to conceal had just blown up in his face. He had to get away from here before he did anything he would regret. He pivoted and started walking away from his now silent companions. He hadn't even made it three strides before Sasuke's voice reached him. Sasuke hadn't raised his voice but Suigetsu heard it all the same. It was a bewildered hiss, simultaneously shocked and full of rage.

"Is it true?"

For a minute Suigetsu thought about lying, but what was the point? It was out in the open, and if he really planned to pursue Sakura, Sasuke would need to know sooner or later. Now was the perfect time for the truth. For the first time ever he would admit his honest feelings regarding Sakura, not only to his teammates, but to himself as well.

"Yeah, I love her."


	6. Chapter 5

I just wanted to warn everyone that there is some language in this chapter that could be interpreted as inappropriate. Also, there isn't a lot of Sakura, but hey, it happens.

* * *

Suigetsu tried to fall into the soft embrace of sleep, but he just couldn't banish thoughts of Sasuke's look of pure disbelief. After confessing his feelings for Sakura, he had expected Sasuke to lash out in anger either verbally or physically. He had not expected Sasuke to just stare at him in complete bewilderment. The unexpected reaction had scared him more than any attack he had anticipated from Sasuke.

The whole walk home Sasuke remained silent and seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts. He hadn't spoken again until Suigetsu had gotten up to retire for the night. Sasuke had informed him that the two of them had a mission the next morning and that he better not jeopardize their assignment by getting injured again. Sasuke then felt the need to add that his lack of skill was truly deplorable and that a genin would probably make a better teammate.

Suigetsu wasn't stupid. He knew there was very little wrong with his technique. It did irk him that Sasuke had felt the need to bring up their last mission, during which he had been injured. While Sasuke had leapt gracefully into the air to avoid the enemy's weapon, Suigetsu had unsuccessfully barreled to the side like an amateur. Apparently one little slip up wasn't allowed when the stoic Uchiha served as your captain.

More than that though, Suigetsu suspected that his error was only brought up in response to his recent confession. Sasuke was probably just trying to make him feel miserable for admitting his love for Sakura. It occurred to him that Sasuke probably wanted him to feel unworthy of Sakura's affections. However, if that was the case, did it mean that Sasuke harbored feelings of love for Sakura as well?

Suigetsu cursed as soon as he sensed the Uchiha outside of his door. He had spent the whole night worrying about the idiot's reaction and hadn't managed to get any sleep.

0.0

She gently glided her right hand over the numerous folds of vibrant fabric. This was the third kimono shop that Ino had herded them into and each one had amazed her more than the one before it. However, this particular shop heavy with age and stories, was quickly becoming her favorite.

Allowing her hand to alight on a random sample of cloth, Sakura wondered what color and design she should choose. A kimono was an investment and she should consider a practical design that would be appropriate for a variety of occasions. Unbidden, a little voice wondered what style Suigetsu would prefer. She narrowed her eyes at her own lack of focus, but she allowed the budding smile to bloom across her face anyway.

At the moment all she could think about was Suigetsu. She contemplated which patterns he would like and which colors would complement his own formal attire. It occurred to her just how stupid she was acting, it was doubtful that he even had such clothes, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She resumed running her fingers across the fabric and continued smiling stupidly.

0.0

He had developed an annoying tick in his left shoulder from sitting so very still for so long. He seriously contemplated knocking Sasuke out and returning to Konoha to report the mission a failure, but decided against it.

As stealthy as he could, Suigetsu attempted to readjust his position with the intention of providing his throbbing legs some relief. Unfortunately his movements weren't quite subtle enough because he immediately felt the heavy glare of the Uchiha. He released a growl at the nerve of the bastard. His irritation made him stupid. He met Sasuke's eyes as he continued to shift in place.

By the time he regained awareness of his surroundings he was lucid enough to register that day had become night and that Sasuke had initiated the scroll retrieval without him. Sasuke had used a mild genjutsu to knock him out and then the bastard had left him, unconscious and alone.

Suigetsu pondered if it would be worth blowing the mission and invoking the Hokage's wrath to charge the base and teach Sasuke a lesson. He ultimately decided that the effort required on his part would be too extensive and he really, really did not want to deal with the Hokage. He would simply wait for a more convenient time to get back at Sasuke.

Judging by the rapidly fading sun,and recalling their earlier plan, it was likely that Sasuke had just infiltrated the enemy base. Suigetsu wasn't overly worried about his partner because the mission itself was simple and, as much as it pained him to admit it, the Uchiha could probably complete the mission with his eyes closed.

With his mind free to wander until the return of his stoic partner, his thoughts inevitably turned to Sakura.

She was supposed to go shopping with Karin and her friend Ino today. Karin had departed from their shared apartment complex chattering incessantly about the trip and, had it not been for the mention of Sakura, he would have strangled the stupid red head.

He could clearly imagine Sakura standing in the middle of some girly shop, trying on various options and blushing gently in front of a mirror as her friends complemented her. She would probably choose traditional colors and a modest pattern.

She would probably carefully consider how the garment would appear in Sasuke's eyes.

Suigetsu felt his fingers clench of their own accord. He hated Sasuke. He couldn't determine the bastard's feelings and it grated on him ceaselessly that Sasuke was probably one of the few shinobi that he could never measure up to in Sakura's affections.

Sasuke was stronger and more skilled. He hailed from the same village as her. He had the advantage of a childhood connection. He knew things about Sakura that Suigetsu could hardly hope to discover. The bastard had turned traitor and still she had pursued him. Hell, he was even better looking!

Suigetsu decided he should probably just admit defeat. Cut his loses and run.

Retreat. The notion didn't sit well with him.

It took him two seconds to cultivate the rage that made him certain that he would not quit. The thought of giving up put a sour taste in his mouth. It disgusted him. He had faced things so much worse in his short lifetime and his fear of Sasuke wasn't nearly enough to make him forget his roots.

His exposure to Konoha nin had inspired this current relaxed atmosphere, but nothing could take away what was his birthright. For better or worse, he had been raised as a shinobi of Kirigakure.

He was born and bred in a land infamously known for its vicious tactics and inhuman approach to battle. He had been taught to work through pain and strike down an enemy regardless of the cost. He had been taught that dying in battle was the highest dream he could ever, should ever, have.

He had been taught these terrible things and he had lived them. He had only managed to survive his childhood by soaking in the excess exuberance that had rippled off his brother in waves. He had loved his brother, and together they had tackled the horrors of their reality and worked towards a better future. A future where they would've be at the top.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The group had been a shining beacon in the disparity of their unfortunate lives. He remembered how animated his brother had been whenever the topic came up. Mangetsu had promised him that joining the Swordsmen would be the answer to all their problems.

They had trained tirelessly in order to join.

in order to be respected.

in order to eat.

in order to survive.

But then Mangetsu got himself killed, and their dream had died with him.

Without his brother, Suigetsu had felt so alone and he had wandered aimlessly for the better part of a year. He had grown so bitter in his loneliness that he had decided he would take all the swords for himself. He had wanted to prove that he didn't need anyone and that he could rise to the top by himself.

That ridiculous notion had been cut short when he had gotten himself captured by that sick snake bastard. However, that unfortunate event had taught him something. He had been given the opportunity to join a team and he had been reminded what it meant to care for those around you.

He had been fighting his whole life for things that he had never won, but this time it would be different. Suigetsu was determined that, this time, he would be good enough.

This time he would forget the hurt of wanting. He would reveal his feelings to Sakura, lay it all out for her to see, and she would welcome him with open arms.

He loved her with his whole being, and that had to count for something. He wanted to spend the rest of his life making her happy and he swore silently to himself that he would do just that.

0.0

Sakura released an irritated sigh as she craned her neck to examine the kimono she had purchased. It was beautiful, but it had been ridiculously expensive, and now she wasn't sure if it was entirely appropriate.

Ino had somehow convinced her to buy a kimono that was far from traditional. The color, a pale blue, wasn't inappropriate, but Ino and Karin had whispered and giggled at her choice so incessantly that Sakura had nearly slapped them.

She wasn't stupid. She knew why they were acting like a couple of love struck genin. The color of the fabric that she had been immediately drawn to was, much to her outward chagrin, the exact shade of his pearlescent hair.

The design saved the garment from being overly formal and made her feel slightly more affirmed in buying it. A host of carefully stitched cherry blossoms, in varying shades of pink, cascaded down the fabric and pooled beautifully at the bottom. The handiwork on the fabric took her breath away every time she looked at it.

What really concerned her, the reason that she was currently dancing in front of her bedroom mirror like an idiot, was the cut of the kimono. There were no revealing slits or gaping openings but everything was just a little off. She was positive that it exposed more than it should, but it wasn't quite enough for her to complain about. It certainly wasn't enough for her to return the exquisite outfit.

With that final thought, Sakura decided that the kimono was perfect. Then, with a little more thought, she worried that was just her buzz talking. Ino had insisted upon drinks after their shopping expedition and Sakura's head still felt glazed over from their indulgence. Karin had been especially interesting to watch at the bar, but she didn't want to think about that now.

With the utmost attention to detail, Sakura carefully packed everything away in her closet. There was no sense in prancing around all dressed up in the middle of her apartment when she should be catching up on her sleep, or at least reading some of the numerous medical texts that Tsunade had recommended.

0.0

The comforting glow of the moon welcomed them back to the village and guided them along their route home. Suigetsu studied the reflections it cast on the rooftops and wondered what Sakura was doing currently. Subtly, he shifted his gaze to stare at his bastard of a partner.

Suigetsu had decided to remain resolutely silent the whole trip when it became clear that Sasuke didn't plan on apologizing for his behavior during the mission. The plan had backfired somewhat because all Suigetsu wanted to do was hurl insult after insult at Sasuke.

Since they were back in the village and beyond any imminent threat, Suigetsu was considering breaking his self imposed silence to give the prick a piece of his mind. He opened his mouth, cruel taunt on the tip of his tongue, when his jaw went slack.

He had turned towards Sasuke just in time to see him veer to the side and start heading away from the Hokage Tower. Due to the unique nature of their situation, they were required to report their return to the village immediately upon the completion of a mission.

They could give their report the morning after, but before that the higher ups needed to know that they hadn't gone rouge or gotten themselves killed in 'friendly' territory. Suigetsu frowned. It put such a tight time constraint on everything they did and he hated schedules.

However, right now, there was something a little more pressing. Why the hell was Sasuke heading away from the tower? The poor captain that was awaiting their return would be pissed if he found out that Sasuke hadn't reported himself right away.

"Oi, Sasuke. Where the hell are you going?"

The response that he received from Sasuke was more than a little frightening.

In the blink of an eye, the Uchiha was directly in front of him and absolutely radiating killing intent.

"Are you trying to wake everyone up? Get your shit under control before we have a whole village of shinobi rolling out of their beds to attack us!"

Sasuke sharpened his glare but pulled in his chakra none the less. Suigetsu felt the release of an uncomfortable gasp of air as it escaped his lungs and hated himself for it. He hated Sasuke more for the smirk that appeared on the bastard's face. The ass was reveling in his unease. He hurried to move past the exchange but the damage was already done.

"We're supposed to report to the tower. Where were you going?"

"You were unable to assist me properly on the mission and now your telling me that you cannot even report our return unaided?"

"You knocked me out during the mission! How is that my fault?"

"It certainly isn't my fault that you allowed yourself to be compromised during a mission."

"Are you being serious? Your my partner I should be able to trust you to have my back during missions. I should not have to defend against attacks from you."

"Your noise level is entirely inappropriate for the current situation."

Suigetsu could do nothing bit stare open mouthed at the Uchiha. The conversation was going nowhere and it was clear that Sasuke had no intention of telling him where he was going.

"Whatever. I'll go report our return and you can slip of into the night to mope by yourself."

"Do not be petty, Suigetsu. You come off as pathetic."

"Are you deliberately goading me, Sasuke? Do you want me to attack you?"

"That would be incredibly foolish."

He clenched his fists, he glared, and he turned away.

There was no sense in attacking the idiot while on top of some poor slob's roof. Furthermore, it really would have been foolish to attack Sasuke while he was unaware of what the bastard was thinking.

Sasuke was obviously in a foul mood, but he couldn't be sure why. He could only speculate what was up the idiot's ass and none of his ideas gave him any comfort. He was curious as to where Sasuke would be heading so late at night after a strenuous mission, but decided not to pursue it.

He reported absentmindedly to the weary captain that took his message. The oddity of his tone and the obvious absence of Sasuke didn't seem to bother the captain. The poor guy seemed all to eager to find his way home.

He exchanged thoughts of Sasuke for thoughts of Sakura and wearily made his own way home. As he neared the apartment he lived in with Jugo, he was surprised to sense the flickering presence of Karin.

When they had finally been delegated proper housing, the Hokage had warned them of the importance of their behavior. They had all been given their own small apartments within an old civilian complex that was tired with age. The occupants of the other apartments may have suspected them as shinobi, but they never said a word.

Well, they hadn't until Jugo had lost it one day.

Some annoying brats had decided to start bullying the neighborhood cat in the open courtyard and it had gotten Jugo all worked up. Compared to what he was capable of, the physical damage had been minimal but the neighbors were still scared all the same.

They complained to their Hokage and in a week the once crumbing complex looked brand new. The catch, however, was that the three of them were moved to adjacent apartments on the upper level and Jugo was forced to share with one of them because he was so 'unstable'.

Sasuke had made it clear that he would remain living alone and since Karin was a girl, Suigetsu had offered to share. The choice turned out to be a great one because Jugo took care of all the domestic work and Sakura's aid had left him more in control of himself then he had ever been.

Suigetsu quietly opened the door and took in the scene before him. Karin, sitting on his couch like she owned it, was nodding off while dressed in full formal attire. Jugo was puttering around the kitchen, putting things away and humming to himself.

"Hey, what's she doin' here?"

Jugo cast his eyes to Karin and then casually readjusted his gaze to study the dirty glass in his hand.

"She came over to talk."

"Why? And why the hell is she wearing that ridiculous outfit?"

"I don't know. She was really hyper when she got here, and she wasn't dressed like that either. She was all giddy and crazy. She didn't shut up about how much fun she had and how nice Sakura was. It was a little scary."

The thought of Karin being girly was a little disturbing. Suigetsu found himself wanting the details, especially if Sakura was involved.

"Okay, but you haven't answered my question. Why is she wearing that?"

"After telling me all about her day, she started talking about how she wanted Sasuke to see what she had bought. She came back dressed like that because that's what she bought. I kinda think talking to me was supposed to keep her awake."

"Strange. Should we wake her up?"

"I don't know. She usually gets really mad when we wake her up."

"Yeah, but don't you think she'll be pissed if her dress gets messed up?"

"I guess."

Suigetsu didn't understand Jugo's lack of movement.

"Well, wake her up."

"It was your idea. You do it."

"What? Your the one who let her in here."

"I didn't let her in. She just burst in, like always."

"I don't care. You do it."

"No."

"Fine!"

Suigetsu approached Karin cautiously before using the tip of his sandal to poke her in the side. She mumbled some kind of protest before hunching deeper into herself and the couch. He tried again, this time, with far less caution.

"Karin! Get up, get up, get up!"

Karin shot straight up and attempted to orientate herself despite all the noise. Suigetsu could barely contain his mirth at her rumpled appearance. He also noted her flushed cheeks and the way she cradled her head.

"What? What's happening?"

"Nothing."

"Then why the hell did you wake me up, you bastard?!"

"I wanted you off my couch."

"Suigetsu, you are the biggest-"

"And I didn't want you to ruin your new outfit."

He watched as Karin paused mid-rant to glance down and examine the state of her attire. Judging from the way her eyes widened, he was willing to bet that she was not at all pleased with how she looked.

"Shit! Jugo, how could you let me fall asleep?"

"Ah."

Suigetsu couldn't help but laugh at Jugo's obvious fear. It really wasn't his fault that the woman was such a nut job. He decided to be charitable and help Jugo out. Besides, he wanted the banshee out of his house so he could sleep.

"Why don't you hurry home and get some sleep before Sasuke sees you looking like that?"

"Oh no, has he been here? Wait, I can't feel him. Where is he?"

"Somewhere in the village. I guess he had something to take care of."

"Good. I'm going home and neither of you are going to mention this. ever."

With that statement trailing from her lips, Karin made it out of the apartment and entered the one next door.

"Jugo, you idiot! She was being crazier than usual because she had been drinking. Those girls must have gotten wild after shopping."

"That would explain her odd behavior."

Suigetsu shook his head at his own roommate's obtuseness and made his way to the bathroom. Even if he hadn't been very helpful on the mission, he still felt disgusting. He had his hand on the knob when Jugo spoke up in a quite whisper.

"What happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Something is bothering you. You are oddly clean and you still possess the majority of your chakra. You returned from a mission without Sasuke. Was the mission a failure?"

It was so easy for him to forget that unassuming Jugo was so damn observant.

He contemplated revealing what had happened while he and Sasuke were on the mission, but decided against it. Ultimately, it was between the two of them and he had no intention of dragging Jugo into it. Still, he hesitated. He wanted to hear someone's thoughts on Sasuke's behavior so badly.

"Nah. It's nothing. Nothing at all."

He closed the bathroom door with a resounding click and yanked back the shower curtain with far more force then was required. He allowed the water to race down his back and thought of all the things that were wrong. So terribly, fucking wrong.

0.0

Sakura pulled aside her covers and forced her legs out into the open. The warm air offered little relief from the heat, but it was better than nothing. She kept her eyes resolutely shut in the hopes of tricking her body into sleeping despite the discomfort.

She was so absorbed in ignoring the heat that it took her awhile to notice the presence that was lingering at the foot of her bed.

It didn't take long for her to identify the person, despite the fact that they were repressing their chakra. Resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night, Sakura cracked open her eyes and allowed Sasuke to come into focus.

"It took you ten minutes to notice my presence. I could have killed you."

"Well excuse me, Sasuke, for not expecting random shinobi to be creeping into my bedroom at night."

"That is the point of an assassination, I believe."

He had a point. She really hated how stupid and inept he could make her feel with a singular remark. Some things never, ever changed.

"Noted. But I assume you're not here to assassinate me?"

"Correct."

She tried not to kick her feet and pull her hair. He had to be the most infuriating man in the world.

"Alright. So, why are you here?"

"I was on my way back from a mission."

"Were you injured?"

"No."

"I don't know-"

Sakura stopped her mumbling and watched as Sasuke detached himself from her wall. He crossed the few paces between them and, in no time at all, he was at her bedside.

"I was on my way back from a mission with Suigetsu."

She blinked once, and then again. How was she supposed to respond to that? Sasuke was looking at her with his usual intensity and she was quickly becoming acutely uncomfortable.

"Okay. How was the-"

"Do you have feelings for him?"

Her heart stopped. To say that she was shocked would have been an understatement. She shifted on her elbows and began easing herself into a proper siting position. She averted her eyes from Sasuke to focus on her stomach in an attempt to buy herself some time.

It worked in the sense that, when she looked up, Sasuke was gone. However, he would have only left once he had gotten his answer. Which meant that her stupid fidgeting had probably given her away.

The biggest question now was, what exactly would Sasuke do with that information?

She groaned and threw her thin blanket to the ground in a fit of rage. Due to Sasuke's little intrusion, it seemed that her earlier diagnosis was accurate. It was now confirmed that she would not be getting any sleep.

* * *

To the kind person that offered to beta my work:

Sorry I never responded to you. I kind of decided that this story is a lost cause in terms of grammar and that readers can just deal with it. I would honestly trash the story now if it weren't for the readers. I don't think I'll do a multi-chapter story again, but if I do I'll ask for your help!


	7. Chapter 6

Unfortunately, I currently have very limited access to a computer. However, I did decide that a short, poorly edited update would be better than no update. So please forgive my absence and shortcomings and enjoy the chapter.

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Contrary to what she had thought when her shift had begun, time was moving rather rapidly today. Each instance she found herself glancing at the clock another hour had elapsed from her previous perusal of its face.

Which was good because she was extremely excited about the looming festival that evening. Thanks to her poor luck she had been selected to be a part of the first skeleton crew of the night. Thanks to this misfortune she would be arriving later than everyone else.

She was relieved, though, that she pulled the first shift rather than the later ones. Shizune had looked quite downcast at discovering that she had to report to the hospital right in the middle of the festival. Sakura shook her head at her adopted sister's bad luck.

Another glance at the clock and a parting wave from a newly arrived nurse told her it was time for her to leave. Quickly Sakura gathered her things and headed for the exit. Once outside of the hospital, Sakura was pleased to find a perfectly mild night and the happy singing of cicadas.

She paused to enjoy the tranquility of the moment and to watch as a heavy sun sleepily lowered itself in the sky. The setting sun was a sight worth watching so Sakura decided she could spare it her time. However, as soon as the event was completed she took off in a dead sprint towards her house.

After all, she had a festival to get to. One where all her friends would be waiting.

0.0

He was becoming more and more impatient with each passing second. When Sakura had learned that she would be delayed in coming to the festival she had arranged for her friends to escort his foursome until her arrival. It had been intended as a thoughtful gesture, but Suigetsu had promptly decided he could have just waited.

Sakura had a lot of friends and trying to navigate the festival crowds in such a large herd was proving difficult. Plus he was torn as to where exactly he should locate himself in the group. He knew Naruto but the blonde idiot was acting like a kid. Bouncing around to all the game stalls and dragging a shy, pale girl close behind.

He was vaguely acquainted with Ino. He was aware that the tall blonde was very close to Sakura and, therefore, privy to all her secrets. That fact alone made her interesting to Suigetsu. He decided it would be best to stay near her.

However it didn't take long for him to regret his choice. Ino and Karin were constantly distracted by girly displays. Since he had no interest in such things he stood back and scanned the area hopefully for any sign of Sakura.

Vaguely he noted that the group was shifting. He joined the movement while he continued his search for Sakura.

He stopped abruptly when he became aware of a presence directly in front of him. It was Ino, and she was alone. He glanced up to observe as the other members of their group joined various lines at different food vendors.

"Everyone else is busy. I wanted to take the time to talk to you."

He could only raise his brow at that, but he did incline is head to signal her to continue.

"I've been watching you look for Sakura all night. It's rather obvious that you have feelings for her. I'm just wondering what you're going to do about those feelings."

He blinked a couple of times quite rapidly. He opened his mouth and closed it. She took is silence as a reason to continue talking. This time far less aggressively and more to herself.

"You should probably tell her how you feel when she gets here. She is so fragile and unsure in these situations. All that nonsense with...well she is kind of timid you know...I mean, she would tell you yes because she thinks she loves you. I just need to know you won't hurt her because, as far as friends go, she is the best."

Suigetsu had stopped breathing at 'she would tell you yes' and his heart had gone into overdrive at 'she thinks she loves you'.

He registered that Ino had just puffed out a resigned sigh at his obvious inattention.

"Just don't mess up."

She won't need to tell him twice. He tensed and sent a network of his chakra through the crowd. He needed to find Sakura now. A small voice at his side distracted him from his rapid search.

He glanced down to meet pearlescent orbs and was startled to find Naruto's sometime shadow, he thought her name was Hinata, beside him. The girl looked at him with pity in her eyes before she turned to a still muttering Ino.

"Sakura has just arrived. She is near the gate."

"Finally."

The blonde muttered in relief before turning to him with a fierce look.

"Good luck, Suigetsu. Now go get your girl."

He was about to do just that when, suddenly, a moon pale hand snaked out and grabbed his wrist.

The dark haired girl held him tightly, but stared at Ino. Her expression made him uncomfortable.

Quietly, just above a whisper, she revealed the source of her worries.

"He has gone missing. I can sense him traveling toward the festival entrance."

"Shit."

He watched as Ino's complexion faded to match the dark haired girl's. Suigetsu was perplexed by the weird exchange and couldn't resist joining.

"Who is missing?"

Ino looked away, but the other girl turned straight at him to answer his question.

"Sasuke."

0.0

She hadn't considered how difficult it would be to run in the kimono while attempting to maintain a ladylike appearance. The added restraint of her attire had made the short trip rather cumbersome and now she was worried about her visage all over again.

She could have stopped to check her appearance but that would just push her arrival back and there was someone she urgently needed to see.

She had resolved that tonight, no matter what, she would reveal her feelings for Suigetsu. She wasn't sure if he would accept or reject her but at least she would have the relief of making her feelings known.

She shuddered at the possibilities of the night. It had taken her years to understand what she felt towards Suigetsu was love and now, in the course of a mere night, she was going to tell him.

She was so set on her course that she nearly missed the presence of a very familiar chakra. She reversed two small steps to find Sasuke leaning unobtrusively against a tree near the entrance of the festival.

She glanced around to confirm her observation that he was alone and then frowned at his countenance. He looked uncomfortable. She understood that festivals were not exactly Sasuke's favorite stomping grounds but she worried at his odd appearance none the less.

She decided to approach him and confirm that he was okay before she went looking for Suigetsu. She noted that Sasuke seemed relieved at her appearance. Almost like he had been worried she would pass him by.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?"

"Hn."

She looked him over doubtfully before resuming her questioning.

"Why are you here alone?"

"I was looking for someone."

"Who?"

For a brief moment worry flashed through her mind. Had one of her friends been delayed for some reason? However, Sasuke quickly replaced her trepidation with shock.

"You."

She blinked slowly at his answer, and tried to formulate a response, but he didn't afford her much time.

"I would like to talk to you. Alone."

She tore her eyes away from his before quickly assessing her surroundings. It was late. Lanterns had been lit and the crowd was starting to thin. She needed to find Suigetsu before it got to late, but she also couldn't bring herself to leave Sasuke.

Something about his apparent unrest made her curious and worried. The fact that he suddenly wanted to talk to her alone after years of monosyllables and indifference seemed important. Something was bothering him and she wasn't about to abandon him in his discomfort.

"Alright."

Since they were alone in the sense that none of their friends were around, Sakura had assumed they would simply talk where they were. So, she was a little shocked when the normally impassive Uchiha grabbed her wrist and started dragging her into the forest.

He stopped pulling beside a bank of a large pond. Compared to the commotion of the festival this little patch of forest seemed eternally calm. Here the lateness of the hour had settled in. The soft trickling of water provided soothing acoustics while dancing fireflies offered sparse illumination.

The scene was beautiful and, privately, Sakura wondered if Sasuke even noticed such things.

A soft breeze sent her bangs fluttering across her face. She quickly brushed them aside, embarrassed by their negligence of the situation, only to come face to face with a softly smiling Sasuke.

0.0

Suigetsu scanned the crowd with intense scrutiny before cursing under his breath. It was clear from their lingering chakra that Sakura and Sasuke had met. Now it was only a matter of locating their current environment.

He cursed again at the thought of them alone together.

That stupid Uchiha bastard was so smug and cocky. Most likely because, for the better part of his lifetime, he had securely basked in Sakura's affections. It genuinely pissed Suigetsu off that Sasuke didn't even see him as a threat worth addressing.

Or maybe he did.

Perhaps Sasuke's recent odd behavior stemmed from his insecurity in all matters concerning Sakura. Perhaps Sasuke was frightened by the increasing interaction between his former teammate and one time recruit.

Suigetsu paused in his frantic search through the crowd and allowed the information to wash over him. If the normally unshakable Uchiha was worried about the details of their relationship then it probably only meant good things for Suigetsu. Sasuke wouldn't take action unless he thought he needed to.

Suigetsu was really starting to care less and less about finding Sasuke and more about finally talking to Sakura. Once they both revealed their feelings they could progress in their relationship. They could move on to things like kissing.

Suigetsu quickly resumed his search with brightly, blushing cheeks.

0.0

His smile made her breath catch. The rare show of emotion only enhanced his aristocratic beauty. Sakura felt an uncomfortable sense of foreboding. Something was happening beneath the surface of this exchange and it worried her. The sad glint in his eyes only strengthened her worries.

"Sakura, I brought you here to talk about... things."

She could only nod in false understanding at his odd statement. His voice had started out unnecessarily loud and petered out into nothing more than a whisper. Though he rarely chose to talk, Sasuke was usually extremely articulate. It was especially odd that Sasuke was stumbling over words.

Since her slight nod didn't seem like it was enough to coax him into speech, Sakura felt obliged to say something. Sasuke was being somewhat evasive so she decided a subtle approach would be best.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No."

She watched his brows furrow in frustration.

"Well, kind of."

"Is that what you want to talk about?"

He looked at her with the wide, confused eyes of a child. His gaze was imploring. Sakura felt her heart slow as her mind registered the depth of his unease. This would not be an easy conversation.

"I.. I want to talk about us."

"Alright."

Her easy compliance seemed to unsettle him and Sakura felt guilty for being so crass. Clearly, whatever he was trying to say was difficult for him. She needed to be sensitive to that and react more appropriately.

Her silent ruminations had apparently given him enough time to gather his thoughts and the courage to continue.

"When we were younger, you often talked about your feelings for me."

He met her gaze with oddly luminescent orbs before resolutely readjusting his stare out across the lake.

"Despite the fact that I never showed it, your constant support was really important to me. Your love for me carried me through some of my darkest moments."

His obvious emotional distress was worrying her. Her desire to comfort him urged her closer and it was all she could do to keep herself from interrupting him.

"When I was alone in Sound and things were so bad I was ready to give up, all I had to do was think about you. When I killed people that didn't deserve to die, I always thought at least you would never abandon me. When my brother... when I killed.."

"Sasuke, stop. You don't need to tell me these things if you don't want to."

"You're wrong, Sakura. You do need to hear these things."

"Why? If it upsets you so badly, I don't want to-"

"Because you need to know how long I've loved you!"

Every protest died in her throat when he turned and faced her once more. Since they were closer now, she could see that his eyes were brimmed with tears, tears of hurt and frustration.

"Sakura, I have always loved you."

"Sasuke, I-"

"I understand that your feelings have shifted to someone else and I will not interfere. I just needed you to know that for all that time I was away, I thought only of you. I wanted to return to the village and build a life with you. I wanted to make you smile, always."

She attempted swallow an annoying lump that seemed to be lodged in her throat as she fought to keep her tears at bay. She looked at the boy who had owned her innocent, child heart and felt a flood of sadness.

He seemed to notice her sadness immediately because he looked away in shame before continuing.

"When I returned home, and was faced with you once more, I began to truly understand the enormity of my sins. The hardest part was that I knew you would forgive me and I was certain I didn't deserve that. I decided to distance myself from you as punishment and, as a result, I lost you. You suffered for my stupidity before seeking comfort in someone else."

She inhaled deeply and prayed that her voice would not waver. She needed to be strong for the broken boy beside her.

"You're right, Sasuke. I would have forgiven you, but you were also right when you mentioned that I've moved on. Suigetsu has become very important to me and I love him very much."

To ease the severity of the message she raised a hesitant hand to Sasuke's face. She cradled his cheek and struggled to smile.

"However, you will always be important to me Sasuke. You will always be the first boy I ever loved, and you will alway have my smiles."

Before she could make any move to stop him, their lips met. It was feather light and heartbreakingly hesitant. She felt the gentle love of his mouth and could not bring herself to pull away.

The kiss ended and Sasuke rested his forehead upon hers. His eyes were closed and his ebony lashes were gleaming with unshed tears-

"Thank you, Sakura."

-and she was unsure exactly how long she remained in his soft embrace.

0.0

He watched as she reached for the snow pale face.

-watched as she looked into coal night eyes and smiled.

-watched as he kissed her.

He felt like he was simultaneously floating and drowning.

His body seemed to shirk gravity and bob wildly in the no longer heavy breeze. He felt like he was drifting amongst the waves, but that couldn't be, because he also couldn't breathe. His lungs felt like they were full of life crushing liquid.

The vision before him was becoming blurry as he repeatedly blinked and attempted to readjust his focus. It took him an eternity to discover the source of his rapidly failing vision.

He realized, with an odd shock of insight, that he was crying.


End file.
